Posts tagged National Mediation Board
FedEx pilot union inches closer to strike with unanimous approval for authorization vote
February 22, 2023 // A statement by pilot leaders says FedEx customers should plan alternative means in the event of a pilot strike. Only a few items for negotiation remain, the statement says. The update comes a month after the Southwest Airlines pilots’ union called a vote to authorize a potential strike after souring contract negotiations. Delta Air Lines pilots also voted to authorize a potential strike in November.
Delta CEO: ‘No possibility’ pilots strike on holidays, or ‘any time
November 8, 2022 //
Delta Air pilots vote to authorize strike
November 2, 2022 // Pilots at Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) have voted to authorize a strike if negotiators cannot reach agreement on a new employment contract, their union said on Monday. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents nearly 15,000 pilots at the Atlanta-based carrier, said 99% of those who cast their ballots backed strike-authorization. Under U.S. law, Delta pilots cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board grants them permission.
Sun Country fleet service workers could follow airline’s pilots, mechanics by unionizing
October 5, 2022 // Fleet service employees could join other groups who gained new representation in the last few years, including its pilots, who Air Line Pilots Association, International said were the “lowest-paid pilots in the industry” before the Dec. 2021 deal. Sun Country maintenance mechanics were certified with Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association this past summer and are expected to negotiate a first collective bargaining agreement for the group in the near future, according to the union.
JetBlue ground operations workers seek union representation
September 29, 2022 // A vote in favor could create the third-largest unionized work group at the New York-based airline. JetBlue’s pilots and flight attendants are already unionized. It would come during a wave of union votes across companies from Amazon to Starbucks . A vote could also take place while JetBlue is in the process of trying to acquire budget airline Spirit Airlines , where more than 80% of employees are represented by unions, compared with JetBlue’s 46%, according to annual company filings.
BACKGROUNDER: Potential Railroad Strike
September 14, 2022 // On Friday, September 16, 2022, railroad workers could go on strike. This would effectively shut down the nation’s freight rail system and have spillover effects on commuter rail like Amtrak, which is already canceling long-distance routes. If a strike or lockout occurs, Congress has the ability to intervene and has done so in the past. An economic analysis by the American Association of Railroads using the Federal Railroad Administration’s model found a railroad shutdown could cost our economy $2 billion per day. Similarly, a coalition of agricultural organizations said in a letter to Congress, “Uninterrupted rail service is vital to the American agricultural economy.”
Biden administration jumps into rail, union talks hoping to avert strike
September 8, 2022 // Such a work stoppage runs the risk of stymieing the U.S.’ supply chain at a point when the system is already strained, prices are historically high, and the peak season for agricultural commodities is just around the corner. Thirteen unions representing U.S. railroad workers have spent years renegotiating their contracts with carriers represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee. SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson, BLET President Dennis Pierce,
Electronic voting means more attacks on worker privacy
July 18, 2022 // Most employers do request an election because cards are notoriously unreliable, as shown by studies, congressional testimony, and even admissions from union organizers. Too often, workers are deceived or intimidated into signing cards. At other times, workers who don’t want a union will sign a card just to get the organizer to go away. The NLRB has failed to protect employees who have been threatened during a card-check campaign. In one case, the NLRB held that because an employee soliciting signatures was not working directly for a union it was all right that the “card solicitor allegedly stated that the employee had better sign a card because if she did not, the union would come and get her children and it would also slash her car tires.”
Rail union members could go on strike Monday amid contract impasse
July 15, 2022 // The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents the interests of the U.S. Class I railroad operations at the bargaining table, has said their proposals offered competitive employee benefits and compensation at levels higher than most U.S. industries. If an emergency board is established by President Joe Biden to oversee the dispute, then that board will conduct hearings and issue a report. A work stoppage would be prohibited for 30 days following the report’s issuance, according to NCCC. Congress could also potentially intervene. Dennis Pierce
BLET Members Vote ‘Yes’ on Nationwide Strike Authorization
July 14, 2022 // The National Mediation Board (NMB) on June 14 set in motion a 90-day-maximum time clock toward a national railroad shutdown. It released BLET and 11 other rail craft unions (bargaining in two coalitions collectively representing some 115,000 rail workers) from NMB-guided mediation with most Class I freight railroads and many smaller ones, ending attempts to negotiate, voluntarily, amendments to existing wage, benefits and work rules agreements. This triggered a “cooling off period,” which is set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 18, 2022. At that point, self-help is available to the parties, unless President Joe Biden appoints a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) pursuant to Section 10 of the Railway Labor Act. A PEB would halt any strike or lockout by the parties, and would investigate and issue a report and recommendations concerning the dispute. Dennis R. Pierce,