Airlines Fight Fair Election Rules

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/05/19/airlines-fight-fair-election-rules/

by Mike Hall, May 19, 2010

Several of the nation’s major airlines–including Delta–are mounting a huge legal battle against a new federal regulation that makes union elections for air and rail workers more fair and democratic.

The Air Transport Association and 10 of the airline industry group’s members filed suit in federal district court to block the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) May 10 ruling that says air and rail union elections must be decided by a majority of votes cast.

An election that is decided by the majority of those who vote may sound like an obvious and common sense way to decide an election. But for years, the deck was stacked against aviation or rail workers in union representation elections, because they are covered by the Railway Labor Act (RLA). Until the NMB ruling, every worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote.

Patricia Friend, president of the Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), says the old rules, “fostered a unique culture of voter suppression,” and that airlines and their outside union-busting companies engaged in the most undemocratic of practices by openly encouraging workers to destroy ballots and to not vote.

Ed Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department (TTD), said the airlines’ complaint “is baseless and should be dismissed.” He says the airlines that are challenging the new rule are eager to retain the old system that was rigged against workers.

FULL story at link.