Building a Political Movement: NMB Rule Change Brings Democracy to Airline Elections

The National Mediation Board’s new rule for union representation elections in the airline and railroad industries finally adopts the majority determination rule that is the standard for elections in the United States.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and all of CWA made the fight for fairer elections for airline workers a top priority. The previous rule gave management enormous opportunities to stack the deck, because workers who didn’t vote were counted as no votes. Airlines also have resorted to intimidation and other tactics to suppress voter turnout by making workers fearful of voting.

The NMB’s rule will ensure that airline elections follow the same standard as other democratic elections in the U.S., said AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend. “Our elected officials, from the President of the United States to the mayors and other representatives of our communities attain office by winning majority support. That’s the way U.S. elections are conducted, and AFA-CWA commends the NMB for restoring the majority rule standard for airline workers.”

Airline workers from Delta Air Lines and Piedmont testified about the abuses that they experienced in election campaigns during congressional hearings in 2008 that AFA-CWA and CWA pressed the congressional committees to hold.