Posts tagged National Mediation Board
Southwest pilots union vote on potential strike underway
May 2, 2023 // The strike voting period opened Monday at noon. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said they're still disagreeing with management on salary, benefits, retirement and other contract terms after years at the negotiating table. SWAPA President Casey Murray wrote in a statement the company's management has shown "no willingness" to address pilots' concerns related to scheduling and technology issues. “The decision to authorize a strike is not one we have taken lightly, but given the lack of accountability and dearth of leadership exhibited by our current executives, we felt that this was a last resort to try to force them to face the issues plaguing our passengers, our frontline employees, and our pilots,” Murray wrote in a statement.
Orlando Airport Fueling Employees Successfully Oust USWU Union Officials Who Tried to Stop Union Decertification Vote
May 2, 2023 // Foundation attorneys refuted union arguments in a position statement, contending that the union’s position was completely at odds with the Railway Labor Act’s (RLA) basic purposes, which ensure that “employees can [choose] to join or refrain from unionization, and that they are entitled to the fullest freedom in making that choice.” The RLA governs private sector labor relations in the air and rail industries. “The [union] reasoning is both illogical and devastating to employee free choice,” said Foundation attorneys’ statement. “Local 74 would require some 1,000 PrimeFlight fuelers, at all locations, to weigh-in on whether the employees at one specific location in Orlando should be represented by Local 74, even though those other employees cannot possibly have any…interest in the representational choices of the Orlando location’s employees.” Further, Foundation attorneys pointed out that USWU union officials’ position was especially suspect considering “the fuelers at other locations are represented by unions other than Local 74” (emphasis added) and have completely different contracts and working conditions.
American Airlines Pilots Vote to Authorize Strike Amid Contract Negotiations
May 2, 2023 // Thousands of American Airlines pilots are standing their ground, threatening to go on strike right before the busy summer travel season gets underway. More than 96% of American's pilots participated in the vote for a strike and 99% of them voted to allow the union to call one, the Allied Pilots Association said Monday.
National Mediation Board Nominee: Loren Sweatt
March 27, 2023 // Loren Sweatt has served in various government roles throughout her professional career. Most recently, Sweatt has been a Senior Professional Staffer with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the United States Senate. Prior to that, Sweatt was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Occupational Safety and…
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.”