Carol Greenberg
Conservative Outlook
4/1/2011
Update: I have the names of the 16 Republicans who voted “yea” for LaTourette’s amendment:
Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart, Emerson, Gibson, Jones, King (NY), LaTourette, Smith (NJ), Grimm, Runyan, Johnson (IL), LoBiondo, Platts, Reichert, Rivera, Young (AK).
Earlier today the House passed its sweeping aviation bill pretty much down party lines, 223-196.
The bill has been controversial not only because it contained budget cuts but also because it contained language which would control how railroads and airlines unionize.
Last year the National Mediation Board (NMB) changed a long standing rule that governs the way airlines and railroads vote to unionize. Whereas before, you needed a majority of the workforce to unionize you now only need a majority of voters. So let’s say you have a company of 200 people. You’d assume that you’d need 101 workers in favor of unionizing in order to form a collective bargaining unit. The NMB changed the rule so that if only 100 people voted, 51 yes votes could force the other 149 workers into unionizing regardless of whether they actually wanted that or not.
The FAA Reauthorization Act has a line that will reverse this rule change, restoring it to the way things have worked for the last 75+ years. Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) had added an amendment that would strip that piece of language from the bill but it failed, 206-220.
Earlier in the week the International Association of Machinists won an election to represent 2,900 workers of Air Tran despite nearly 66% (1,906) of Air Tran workers not voting for unionization…
The article continues at Conservative Outlooks.
Related: BigGovernment has more, “House Republicans Siding With Union Bosses?“
