Posts tagged Railway Labor Act
SkyWest Airlines facing federal lawsuit over alleged ‘fake company union’
August 14, 2024 // SkyWest Airlines, the largest regional airline in North America, is facing legal action over an alleged “fake” company union that the airline operates and the allegedly retaliatory firings of flight attendants who were engaged in union organizing efforts. A lawsuit was filed by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) in October 2023. The US Department of Labor also filed a lawsuit last month against the company over the “company union”, alleging SkyWest Inflight Association (SIA) did not perform its legal duties as a representative agency and barred two employees from running in an election for leadership positions due to their support for an independent union at the airline.
NJ Transit — almost on brink of a rail strike — asks Biden to intervene
July 25, 2024 // Gov. Phil Murphy also could have requested Biden form a PEB. His office referred questions to NJ Transit. If Biden agrees to form a PEB, that stops the clock for 120 days while a panel of neutral experts review both sides’ arguments and other data and make a non-binding recommendation.
Ranking Member Cassidy Calls on Biden to Take Action in Gate Gourmet Failed Mediation, Avert Strike During Summer Travel Season
July 2, 2024 // A strike would disrupt in-flight and pre-flight services such as food and water for passengers and crew. “Disruptions in air travel will cause unnecessary uncertainty for families and airline workers alike,” wrote Dr. Cassidy. “To prevent severe economic consequences and a global disruption in air travel, it is imperative you use all of your available authority, including forming a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB), to resolve this matter and avert a strike. We need leadership.”
American Airlines flight attendants move closer to strike as Alaska reaches deal
June 26, 2024 // The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, which covers the work group at Alaska, said on Friday that the bargaining group had reached a tentative agreement with the airline under federal mediation. Details of the contract have not been publicly released, and the agreement still must be ratified by the union's leadership and general membership.
Alaska Airlines reaches tentative labor deal with flight attendants
June 24, 2024 // The deal likely contains a significant pay raise, which has been a common demand across the airline industry and sought by unions whose members in some cases have not seen a pay increase in years. In April, the union announced to members it was seeking pay raises of between 43% to 56%, depending upon seniority, through 2026. Those pay raises would include back pay covering a period dating back a year and a half that they’ve worked under the terms of the previous contract.
Court of Appeals Hearing Arguments in Case Brought by Southwest Flight Attendant Who Was Illegally Fired for Criticizing Union Officials
June 5, 2024 // Carter resigned from union membership in 2013 but was still forced to pay fees to TWU Local 556 as a condition of her employment. The Railway Labor Act (RLA), the federal law that governs labor relations in the air and rail industries, permits the firing of employees for refusal to pay dues and preempts the protections that state Right to Work laws provide. However, the RLA does protect employees’ rights to refrain from union membership, to speak out against the union and its leadership, and to advocate for changing the union’s current leadership. In January 2017, Carter, a pro-life Christian, learned that then-TWU Local 556 President Audrey Stone and other Local 556 officials used union dues to attend a political rally in Washington, D.C., which was sponsored by activist groups she deeply opposed, including Planned Parenthood.
Alphabet Soup: NLRB, NMB, FMCS
April 4, 2024 // This is the third in a series of introductory guides to help you navigate the alphabet soup of federal labor and employment agencies. Throughout the federal government, there is agency overlap and the pendulum often swings with each new President in the White House. Ultimately, the general framework for each agency’s mission and the statutes they enforce remains little changed. Below is an introductory guide to the National Labor Relations Board, National Mediation Board, and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help you better understand their missions and mandates.
Union president says Massachusetts commuter rail workers will strike if needed
March 2, 2024 // The Railway Labor Act, Flaherty responded, makes it harder for rail workers to strike, but it doesn’t prohibit a work stoppage if the situation is bad enough. “Keep in mind, we do not want to strike. But when we’re legally able to, we will,” he warned. A Keolis spokesperson pushed back on Flaherty’s assertions, pointing to pay raises that came out negotiations in six of the last seven years. She also said that its not fair to say the union is without a contract, as those agreements exist perpetually under the law, but instead is more accurate to say a consensus hasn’t been reached on a future wage increase.
Breeze Flight Attendants Take Next Step in Unionizing
January 24, 2024 // The move comes nearly two weeks after Breeze flight attendants announced their organizing campaign. Some of the reasons why Breeze flight attendants said they wanted to unionize included issues with pay, a lack of hotel accommodations when away from bases, a changing set of workplace rules, and “disrespectful treatment from management.” “Breeze Flight Attendants are proud of their work as aviation’s first responders and they are ready to lock in a real voice at their growing airline,” AFA International President Sara Nelson said in a statement. “Flight Attendants are not wasting any time organizing for legal rights on the job and a secure future at Breeze with a union contract. We’re with them all the way.”
Philly workers got organized in 2023. Look back on this year’s strikes, walkouts, and union campaigns.
December 30, 2023 // As worker organizing activity heated up toward the end of 2022, with new unions and strikes grabbing headlines through the fall, labor leaders predicted 2023 would be an even bigger year for employees seizing on their leverage.