Piedmont Agents File for Their First Fair Election

Nearly 3,000 fleet and passenger service agents at Piedmont Airlines soon will have the opportunity to vote for CWA representation, following CWA's filing last Friday with the National Mediation Board for a union election.

When the NMB sets the date for the election after reviewing workers' signed authorization cards, it will be the first election in the airline industry to be conducted under the majority vote rule just implemented by the NMB. The outcome will be determined by the majority of those voting, just as all other U.S. elections are conducted.

In previous elections, eligible workers who choose not to vote were counted as "No" votes, giving enormous advantage to management, which often used scare tactics and intimidation to suppress voter turnout.

"About 70 percent of airline workers in the U.S. have union representation, and that means fair treatment, respect and the ability to bargain with management over wages and working conditions," said Marge Krueger, administrative director to the District 13 vice president. "That's what Piedmont workers want, too," she said.