NMB Orders Union Vote for American Airlines Agents

CWA’s ad that ran in Politico.

In a big victory for democracy and the right to vote, the National Mediation Board on Wednesday decided to move forward with the union representation election for nearly 10,000 American Airlines agents — despite the carrier's efforts to block the vote.

"It is the NMB's longstanding policy consistent with (existing law) to resolve representation disputes as expeditiously as possible," wrote NMB General Counsel Mary L. Johnson. "The Board notes that as a result of American's Motion, the processing of this representation case has already been delayed for four weeks."

Citing precedent established in previous cases, the board declared that it will proceed using the mailing labels provided by CWA last month.

Here's the schedule for the election:

• June 14: An election notice and sample instructions will be sent to American Airlines
• June 21: Instructions for voting by telephone or Internet will be mailed to employees
• June 21: Voting begins
• Aug. 2: Voting ends 
• Aug. 2: Ballots will be tallied at 2 pm EDT at the NMB offices.

The NMB ruling arrived just as CWA turned up the heat on Congress, launching an online and print ad campaign labeling airline "unAmerican" for trying to prevent the election and building support on Capitol Hill.

Agents and CWA supporters held a briefing for congressional staff last week, and agents Rosemary Capasso and Freddy Lopez laid out American Airlines' plans to stop workers from voting.

"American Airlines has been using stall and deceptive tactics to deny our right to vote," said Capasso, who has been fighting to organize for 15 years. Lopez said the airline "is trying to slow down the election so it can get rid of us. Every cargo station will be outsourced" and jobs lost, he said, calling on members of Congress to "help us."

Watch the briefing here.

American Airlines has been doing everything it can think of — both legal and illegal — to stop agents from exercising their legal right to a union representation vote. The airline repeatedly refused to turn over the list of agents, violating a direct order from the NMB. The latest outrage was a lawsuit filed by the company on May 2, in which American Airlines is seeking to substitute its own judgment for that of Congress, so it can stop passenger service agents from having a union voice.

Leading members of the House and Senate, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Ranking Committee Members George Miller and Nick Rahall, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Committee Chairmen John D. Rockefeller and Tom Harkin, and members of the Illinois delegation all have called on American Airlines CEO Thomas Horton to obey the law and stop blocking workers' right to vote in a democratic union election.

And the Justice Department had sought to have the American Airlines suit dismissed, noting that the NMB has broad discretion in ordering representation elections.