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OUR UNION
U.S. Court Upholds NMB Rule Change Bringing Greater Democracy to Union Elections
Jun 28 2010
On June 25, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, rejected the Air Transport Association's (ATA) attempt to overturn new National Mediation Board (NMB) rules governing union elections.
"The court has made a just ruling that brings America's working families one step closer to fairer union elections," said TWU International President James C. Little.
On May 10, the NMB announced changes in union voting requirements under the Railway Labor Act that would bring greater democracy to workers in the air and rail industries. Just one week later, the ATA, composed of major U.S. air carriers, filed a legal challenge to the change, causing a delay in the effective date of the new rule.
"The deck has been stacked against workers for too long with many union elections being invalidated by unfair rules that required super majority participation – a standard found nowhere else in our democracy," said Edward Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department. "The new rules put an end to the practice of counting all non-voting employees as ‘no’ votes."
The Transport Workers Union, which represents tens of thousands of people who work in the railroad and airline industries, applauds the NMB's decision to reject the ATA's proposal to overturn the new rules. The TWU have lost elections in the past due to the rigged elections in which non-voters counted as "no" votes.
"We are currently working to help employees of Jet Blue and Virgin America airlines organize to win the same rights that our members at Southwest, American and other air carriers experience today," said TWU Organizing Director Frank McCann. "We look forward to holding union elections at these airlines, where employees do not currently benefit from collective bargaining, under the new rules that will finally and rightfully look like every other election in our society where a simple majority prevails."
"This change decision was long overdue. But rather than mourn the injustices of the past, we're going celebrate justice for workers today and we're going to organize," said President Little.
"The court has made a just ruling that brings America's working families one step closer to fairer union elections," said TWU International President James C. Little.
On May 10, the NMB announced changes in union voting requirements under the Railway Labor Act that would bring greater democracy to workers in the air and rail industries. Just one week later, the ATA, composed of major U.S. air carriers, filed a legal challenge to the change, causing a delay in the effective date of the new rule.
"The deck has been stacked against workers for too long with many union elections being invalidated by unfair rules that required super majority participation – a standard found nowhere else in our democracy," said Edward Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department. "The new rules put an end to the practice of counting all non-voting employees as ‘no’ votes."
The Transport Workers Union, which represents tens of thousands of people who work in the railroad and airline industries, applauds the NMB's decision to reject the ATA's proposal to overturn the new rules. The TWU have lost elections in the past due to the rigged elections in which non-voters counted as "no" votes.
"We are currently working to help employees of Jet Blue and Virgin America airlines organize to win the same rights that our members at Southwest, American and other air carriers experience today," said TWU Organizing Director Frank McCann. "We look forward to holding union elections at these airlines, where employees do not currently benefit from collective bargaining, under the new rules that will finally and rightfully look like every other election in our society where a simple majority prevails."
"This change decision was long overdue. But rather than mourn the injustices of the past, we're going celebrate justice for workers today and we're going to organize," said President Little.
TWU |
TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION OF AMERICA AFL-CIO 501 3rd. St. NW 9th Floor Washington, D.C. 20001 202-719-3900 OFFICE 202-347-0454 FAX |
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