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Mediation Board proposal could have major impact on Delta Air Lines union battle
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A 75-year-old rule governing union representation votes may be going away if the National Mediation Board has its way. In a proposal that will certainly be welcomed by labor unions, the NMB has recommended that union elections at airlines and railroads be determined by a majority vote of the people who actually vote rather than by the current process where a majority of an entire work group is required. That rule turns absent or not voting members into ‘no’ votes.
The mediation board recommendation was posted to its website yesterday and said that the current procedure is “at odds” with how democratic elections should be held. The NMB went on to say “….that this change to its election procedures will provide a more reliable measure/indicator of employee sentiment in representation disputes and provide employees with clear choices in representation matters.”
The US National Mediation Board is comprised of three members including the chairman, Elizabeth Dougherty, who cast the one dissenting vote on the proposed rule change. She called it “an unprecedented event” in the board’s history and questioned whether the NMB had the authority to alter the current policy.
Unions have long sought such a change in the belief that union representation elections should be determined by a simple count of those who vote, not including those who abstain for any number of reasons. There is a mandatory 60-day comment period before implementation is possible.
While unions are welcoming the proposed change, airlines and railroads are expected to be unanimously against the board’s recommendation. Delta Air Lines had been largely non-union before acquiring Northwest Airlines last year and could be dramatically affected by such a change. The issue of union representation is a hot one currently at the carrier. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as well as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA have recently requested elections to represent certain employee groups.
The Air Transport Association of America represents the major carriers in the U.S It believes that sure a rules changes should be determined solely by a congressional vote. If the change is implemented the upcoming union votes at Delta could very well give the election to the unions, making it more difficult for the airline to control costs. Nothing could be worse for the airlines as they battle day-to-day to return to some level of profitability.
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