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CWA Will Continue Helping American Airlines Passenger Service Agents Win Union Representation: Worke
The Communications Workers of America will continue assisting American Airlines passenger service agents in their drive to unionize despite today's ruling by the National Mediation Board denying CWA's request for an immediate rerun election based on abuses by airline management during a previous representation election late last year.
We're going to stand with these thousands of passenger agents and over the next year help them build an even stronger organization to represent their interests and to eventually prevail in a representation vote," stated CWA President Morton Bahr.
CWA had petitioned for an expedited rerun of an election tallied last December 15, charging that American Airlines management engaged in coercion and intimidation of workers, denial of union access to traditional employee forums, and other violations of the Railway Labor Act, which governs the transportation industry.
About 41 percent of the agents, or nearly 5,800 employees, voted for union representation, however under the Railway Labor Act, more than 50 percent of all employees in the bargaining unit must cast ballots in order for an election to be valid. (For private sector workers under the National Labor Relations Act, by contrast, only
a majority of those voting must cast ballots for the union in order to win representation.)
The board's decision today is "a big disappointment to CWA and to all the activists at American who are determined to have a voice at the airline just like all the other employee groups," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who directs CWA's organizing program. "It's a travesty to let airline management get off scot free after violating the workers' rights and subjecting them to a virulent anti-union propaganda campaign," he said. "This ruling will make our activist core more committed than ever to building a union at American."
We're going to stand with these thousands of passenger agents and over the next year help them build an even stronger organization to represent their interests and to eventually prevail in a representation vote," stated CWA President Morton Bahr.
CWA had petitioned for an expedited rerun of an election tallied last December 15, charging that American Airlines management engaged in coercion and intimidation of workers, denial of union access to traditional employee forums, and other violations of the Railway Labor Act, which governs the transportation industry.
About 41 percent of the agents, or nearly 5,800 employees, voted for union representation, however under the Railway Labor Act, more than 50 percent of all employees in the bargaining unit must cast ballots in order for an election to be valid. (For private sector workers under the National Labor Relations Act, by contrast, only
a majority of those voting must cast ballots for the union in order to win representation.)
The board's decision today is "a big disappointment to CWA and to all the activists at American who are determined to have a voice at the airline just like all the other employee groups," said CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen, who directs CWA's organizing program. "It's a travesty to let airline management get off scot free after violating the workers' rights and subjecting them to a virulent anti-union propaganda campaign," he said. "This ruling will make our activist core more committed than ever to building a union at American."