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Flying the Union Skies--Labor tries an end run around the law to organize Delta.
The Wall Street Journal ^ | October 7, 2009 | Editorial

Posted on 10/07/2009 10:07:59 AM PDT by jazusamo

No trucks from Mexico, no new trade agreements, a sweet deal for the United Auto Workers at GM and Chrysler, tariffs on Chinese tires, and now Big Labor has another demand of the Obama Administration: Overturn 75 years of labor policy to sandbag Delta Airlines and unionize transportation workers. Will it get that too?

The latest looming political favor features the National Mediation Board, the federal agency established in 1934 under the Railway Labor Act to oversee labor relations in the air and rail industries. A department of the AFL-CIO last month sent a letter demanding that the board tear up longstanding rules requiring that a majority of all airline or rail workers vote in favor of union representation to win union certification.

The AFL-CIO instead wants a "minority rule," requiring only a majority of the employees who actually vote. Under current rules, if an airline has 10,000 nonunion flight attendants, 5,001 must vote yes to unionize. Under the union proposal if only 2,000 of 10,000 vote, and 1,001 vote yes, all 10,000 become subject to unionization.

The timing here is nakedly opportunistic. Two of Delta's unions—the Association of Flight Attendants and the International Association of Machinists—have elections pending in front of the Mediation Board as a result of last year's Delta acquisition of Northwest Airlines. Northwest was largely unionized but Delta wasn't. The Delta flight attendants tried to unionize last year but lost that election, and now the AFL-CIO wants the White House to stack the deck in their favor. Beyond Delta, the new rules would make it easier to unionize JetBlue, Continental, FedEx and short-line railroads, among others.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: aflcio; agenda; corruption; delta; democrats; obama; unioncorruption; unionthuggery
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1 posted on 10/07/2009 10:08:00 AM PDT by jazusamo
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To: All
Please bump the Freepathon and donate if you haven’t done so!

2 posted on 10/07/2009 10:09:32 AM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Unions make me physically ill.


3 posted on 10/07/2009 10:10:14 AM PDT by TChris (There is no freedom without the possibility of failure.)
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To: jazusamo

That could put Delta right out of business.


4 posted on 10/07/2009 10:11:53 AM PDT by GeronL
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To: TChris

Yes, the further their popularity falls with workers the more money they funnel to RATS to skirt and change labor laws in their favor.


5 posted on 10/07/2009 10:12:42 AM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: GeronL

I believe you’re right.


6 posted on 10/07/2009 10:14:47 AM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

So they want the government to force Delta to become unionized?


7 posted on 10/07/2009 10:15:24 AM PDT by wastedyears (If I don't have a right to play defense, then I'll go on offense. - FReeper Enterprise)
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To: GeronL
That could put Delta right out of business.

What do you think, short about 5000 shares?

8 posted on 10/07/2009 10:16:23 AM PDT by Harley (Life is Tough, But It's a Lot Tougher When You're a Liberal. Stop Global Whining Now.)
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To: jazusamo; Harley

unless they get a bailout of course


9 posted on 10/07/2009 10:17:48 AM PDT by GeronL
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To: wastedyears

That’s about what it amounts to. If the Mediation Board changes the policy there will be a lawsuit for sure.


10 posted on 10/07/2009 10:18:43 AM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Unions are nothing but DNC fundraisers, donors and campaign workers. They should be viewed as such by the government.


11 posted on 10/07/2009 10:23:35 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (America! We're spending our grandchildren's inheritance!)
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To: TChris

How about, anyone who wants to join the Union, joins and gets’ to pay their dues, and all those that don’t want to join the Union, get the New Union Members to pay their dues too.


12 posted on 10/07/2009 10:25:05 AM PDT by sniper63 (Silent and stealthy - one shot - one kill)
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To: Harley

That was my first thought as well.

It might seem opportunistic, but we need to make money somehow, in order to pay for the Delta bailout and massive unemployment of airline workers that would ensue...


13 posted on 10/07/2009 10:25:18 AM PDT by Zeppelin (Keep on FReepin' on...)
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To: jazusamo

Why would they be forced to unionize? What authority does the government have to do it?


14 posted on 10/07/2009 10:32:55 AM PDT by wastedyears (If I don't have a right to play defense, then I'll go on offense. - FReeper Enterprise)
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To: wastedyears

They would not actually be forced to unionize, there would have to be a vote. But the vote would only have to be a simple majority of those that voted instead of a simple majority of all workers.


15 posted on 10/07/2009 10:36:02 AM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
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To: jazusamo

Make up the rules to fit the situation.


16 posted on 10/07/2009 10:47:56 AM PDT by phormer phrog phlyer
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To: jazusamo

great. just look what they did for Northworst.


17 posted on 10/07/2009 10:50:03 AM PDT by WOBBLY BOB (ACORN:American Corruption for Obama Right Now)
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To: jazusamo

Isn’t that known as the Acorn rule?


18 posted on 10/07/2009 10:51:10 AM PDT by equalitybeforethelaw
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To: jazusamo

Is it employees inside Delta, or somebody on the outside?


19 posted on 10/07/2009 10:55:43 AM PDT by wastedyears (If I don't have a right to play defense, then I'll go on offense. - FReeper Enterprise)
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To: Harley
"That could put Delta right out of business."

What do you think, short about 5000 shares?

Forget about stocks. I am finally getting close to Silver Medallion status. I always wanted to see the inside of the Delta Sky Club.

20 posted on 10/07/2009 11:32:00 AM PDT by sportutegrl (If liberals could do math, they would be conservatives.)
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