A challenge by the Labor Relations Institute to donate $10,000 to a charity on behalf of the first federal arbitrator who could show he/she has settled a first contract between a union and a private-sector employer in less than 90 days has not yet been claimed, says LRI.

The challenge was issued in response to a provision in the proposed Employee Free Choice Act that would force an arbitrated labor contract within 90 days of recognition. More attention had been focused on the virtual elimination of the secret ballot election provisions of the proposed legislation. (EFCA was formally introduced in Congress on March 10.) “We’re not surprised to see that nobody has claimed the prize yet. Of the more than 10,000 union elections Labor Relations Institute has been involved in over the years, we’ve never seen a first contract settled in less than 90 days,” said LRI President and General Counsel Phillip B. Wilson. “In our experience, the time limit the Employee Free Choice Act puts on the arbitration process is unrealistic to the point of absurdity. Our concern is that the hype surrounding the card check portion of the proposed legislation will divert attention away from the very real threat binding arbitration could have on businesses in the United States.”