A new package of bills introduced in the U.S. Senate proposes the most significant update to federal labor law in nearly a century. The legislation, released by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, focuses on how union elections are conducted, how unfair labor practice cases are filed, and how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) interprets precedent.
The stated goal is to improve consistency and predictability for both workers and employers. The proposals emphasize procedural reform rather than ideology; however, if enacted, they would alter many long-standing practices that shape labor relations.
The Six Bills at a Glance
Worker RESULTS Act
- (Reforming Elections for Speedy and Unimpeded Labor Talks)
Requires secret-ballot elections for union certification and participation by at least two-thirds of eligible employees. - Expands the decertification window from 30 to 90 days, occurring every two years.
- Aligns decertification opportunities with completion of a first collective bargaining agreement.
- Codifies the 2020 “blocking charge” rule, which prevents delays caused by pending unfair labor practice charges.
Purpose: To strengthen the integrity of elections and tie representation choices more closely to contract outcomes.
NLRB Stability Act
- Requires the NLRB to follow binding federal appellate-court precedent.
Purpose: To promote consistent interpretation of labor law and reduce policy reversals when the political makeup of the Board changes.
Fairness in Filing Act
- Requires evidence to be submitted with all unfair labor practice filings.
- Establish penalties for frivolous or bad-faith charges.
- Ensures that evidence is shared with all parties.
Purpose: To reduce the Board’s case backlog by discouraging unsupported filings and prioritizing cases with merit.
Union Members’ Right to Know Act
- Requires unions to notify members of their rights to object to political spending.
- Requires members to opt in before any dues are used for non-representational purposes.
Purpose: To improve transparency and ensure that members control how their dues are allocated.
Protection on the Picket Line Act
(Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.)
- Clarifies when employers may discipline employees for misconduct during picketing or protests.
Purpose: To define what qualifies as protected versus unprotected activity on the picket line.
Worker Privacy Act
(Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.)
- Limits how unions can collect, store, or use employee personal data during organizing drives.
Purpose: To protect employee information and require consent for data use beyond organizing activities.
Why it matters
If enacted, the six-bill package would reshape how workplaces approach organizing, bargaining, and dispute resolution. Employers would see more straightforward rules and possibly fewer elections, but the higher thresholds and documentation standards could also make it more difficult for workers to organize.
The proposal also aims to create more predictability in Board decisions by anchoring them to established court precedent. That change could reduce uncertainty for companies and unions that currently face shifting legal interpretations from one administration to the next.
