Image via WikipediaI am sure you have not been following the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) funding reauthorization battle between the House and the Senate in our capital.
I just wanted to remind everyone that the stumbling block in these seemingly simple issues, is again Obama’s sticking union demands into everything he does.
In this case, unionization rules for airline and railroad employees required that a “majority” of those employees agree to unionization and not just a majority of those voting in an election. These rules have been standing for nearly three-quarters of a century (75 years).
Obama and his union twits want to make unionization easy as pie and so they changed the long-standing rules to require a simple voting majority to approve unionization and that could mean 51%, leaving 49% of the workers NOT wanting to unionize, whistling Dixie.
If you remember, the reason very much needed free trade agreements are in limbo because Obama wants unions to receive vast amounts of money for allowing these free trade agreements to pass; is that blackmail?
I am very happy that our House of Representatives is Republican controlled and the Senate controlled by Democrats. Yes, they can “check” each others radical moves but alas, it can also cause a “stalemate” where nothing gets accomplished.
Just think about it, if Obama had his way, all employees would be unionized and unions would once again control the economy and politics and be as corrupt as they want to be.
On the issue of unionization, Obama is starting to smell… a lot!
Jan,
ReplyDeleteGet your stuff straight. The NMB changed the union election policies last year. It has Nothing to do with the FAA reauthorization bill. Nothing. If the republicans really want to see this policy changed, then change it the right way, not under the guise of spending and deficits. Meanwhile, people are furloughed while congress works out their Union issues on something that has nothing to do with it. The current NMB elections run like any election should. Majority rules. If you are indifferent, don't understand, or forget to vote, tough shit. Those that do choose to vote determine the outcome. This blog post is as misleading and misinformed. Unions have systematically stripped of power in the past years. Airline wages are stagnant or declining. There is a rebellion forming. Do you see a problem with working Americans taking the punches for all of this? I hope so.
The fact that this bill was not passed in a timely manner has cost this country a bunch and should have been handled differently from the beginning; Congress did a piss poor job here.I agree that the House could have handled the unionization issue in a different fashion and that issue should NOT have been a part of this bill as now is the case. Republicans are very leery about Obama's extreme pro union stance, as they should be. Their position on counting the non-voting workers as voting NO can be readily explained by the fear that union organizers instill in workers through intimidation and coercion so hell yes, count those that are scared to vote as voting NO...I don't have a problem with that. As far as EAS (Essential Air Services Program) is concerned, I don't have enough info, I only know some of these airports were pure pork with hardly any customers. I will agree that this bill should NOT have been delayed even for a minute and that the delay has cost us big time BUT as far as making unionization as easy as pie, hell NO...block it at every turn; there are very good reasons unions need to be stripped of some of their power and the rebellion that is forming is the anti-union rebellion...why have union numbers plummeted in recent years...working Americans need jobs at companies that can compete on a global level and unionized companies cannot!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least we can agree that the union issues shouldn't be in a FAA budget bill. Congress signed off on another month of authorization before they took off for vacation. This leaves them with one week to handle this when they come back before another shutdown. Lets see how the work under pressure.
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't understand your view on union voting. I've never thought about union organizers using fear or intimidation against workers. How would one intimidate a worker to Vote yes? The same way an anti-union company would intimidate a worker to not vote, or vote No? If you don't vote for whatever reason then I'm sorry. Your voice will not be heard.
Remember also that this NMB change only affects workers under the RLA. It's not for factory workers, not for teachers, not for construction workers. It's for employees who's quality of life depends on staying at their job for a long time. It's for employees who's wages depend on another year of seniority. Experience matters very little in this line of work. it's all seniority based. Is it the best way of doing things? I don't think so, but that's the way it currently is. Unions are a sort of Very necessary evil in this case. Without them, it would be way too easy for companies to fire employees after 10,12, or 18 years, depending on what their wage optimization software recommends.
As far as the EAS portion of the bill, you have to talk to individual Senators/Congressman of small rural states. You can bet that they get significant pressure to keep the air service there. Is it expensive? Of course, it's subsidized. Is it worth it to have convenient air travel to these places? That is something that the country as a whole has to decide. EAS contracts are shifted constantly.
Your last statement about union numbers plummeting because Americans need to compete on a global level doesn't apply to RLA governed transportation employees. Cabotage is illegal in the USA. If it ever does become legal to have foreign companies to compete, people will bitch even louder, as they sit in their $14 LGA-MIA seat. If it is truly the Wal-Martization of everything that we want, I guess we will get it.
My point is, just don't confuse Unionization, with RLA Governed Employees Unionization.
RLA employees are so important to the infrastructure of the country that we are hardly Ever allowed to strike...but we are made to work under 5+ year expired contracts, have our pensions stripped in bankruptcy courts, and have me long for real dollar wages of 30 years ago.
I just saw you Pope in Africa post. My thoughts exactly. George Carlin summed it up: "My god has a bigger dick than your god"
We all want bigger.
My apologies for a few spelling/grammar issues. It's late, and I hit "post" instead of "preview".
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the fact that only employees under the Railroad Labor Act are in play here (railroad & airlines). As you said, these employees are vital to the normal operation of the country and that is why I thought, that for 75 years the rules of unionization were "company friendly" to prevent unions from striking and holding the country hostage as in 30 years ago, forcing Reagan to fire 13,000 air traffic controllers and banning them for life from federal employment.
ReplyDeleteWhy would the National Mediation Board reverse that decision and make the rules decidedly "union friendly" as per Obama's marching orders to bring unionism back.
Some one wrote recently that the unions would have lost under both rules in the past so the issue is probably moot but not to Republicans.
I have just read about an election involving Air Tran and its machinists where a minority of the total work force (994 out of 2,900)brought in the union. So I have to inquire how this "minority can compel all" to become unionized works and I think it has something to do with union elections held in specific locations only where all workers do not get a chance to vote.
I don't really know much about working conditions of RLA workers but I do know that union involvement cannot be the only or best way to address labor issues since the only tool or weapon available to unions is the "strike" option even if striking is illegal.
U.S. Air pilots are involved in a "slowdown" costing the company millions in cancellations. The pilots deny any such actions saying slowdowns are illegal so is the company making all this up?
Jan,
ReplyDeleteI don't understand your first paragraph, as far as RLA employees being essential to national infrastructure and therefore not often being allowed to strike. You do understand that after an impasse has been declared in negotiations a union still has to be "released" to strike by the NMB. This is often denied. They aren't just free to strike at will. You are saying that the former "company friendly" unionization laws are in place to PREVENT a strike. In actuality, as soon as a group is unionized, their opportunity to show discontent with work rules and strike is given away to the government.
There have been many times where I wish my craft was NOT unionized, so we could legally pressure the company with Slowdowns, Sickouts, or any of the other tools we would have available to us. As Unionized employees we lose this ability. The new NMB rules make it Easier for employees to Unionize and consequently harder for unions to strike and "hold the country hostage" as you said.
Pertaining to the AirTran union election, I'm not familier with that one. I do disagree with your assertion that the result was because of voting location. The union elections I've been involved in were either mail in ballots, or most recently, online voting with a PIN number. There was no influence from any party. In fact, there are very specific laws in place to prevent this. A union rep can contact a voter, and basically ask if they have voted. Thats it. They can't legally say much else to a voter.
The USairways pilots have been raked over the coals in my opinion. USair exists today because of pilot concessions. USair was the first airline to take away pensions in Bankruptcy court. Pilots there today are making basically the same amount they were making 20 years ago. There are 20+ year pilots making the same amount as guys with 2-3 years experience at other companies. I have no sympathy for USair when they cry foul, saying USair pilots are slowing down. If a pilot managed everything exactly as is dictated in their manuals, flights would never leave on time. It's a give and take relationship, and so far pilots have given, and USair has taken.
It seems we disagree on our core philosophy, but hopefully we've both learned something from this discussion. I've enjoyed your other blog posts, and will continue to check in from time to time.
Disclaimer: I'm a Unionized Airline Pilot, so please understand any bias.
I just said that the new NMB rules make it easier for a group to unionize. I didn't exactly mean easier. I believe that as free people, we are allowed to vote for things that concern us. I stil hold my ground on the view that a non-vote shouldn't count. Should a non-vote in a Presidential election count as a vote for No President?
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really confused on your views, because I just found your April 2nd 2011 posting. In that post you stated that a simple voting majority was the fair way, and gave it your support. In this post you said that the same method made unionizing "easy as pie" and didn't seem to support it.
ReplyDeleteI can't seem to find that April 2, 2011 blog but I probably was reacting to the "card check" proposal from the unions which was defeated. In that proposal elections would have been eliminated in favor of a card check system.
ReplyDelete