U.S. Court Upholds Fair Election Rule for Air and Rail Workers

December 20, 2011

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., has upheld the new democratic union election rule for aviation and rail workers issued by the National Mediation Board (NMBM) in 2010.

The aviation industry, led by Delta Airlines, challenged the new rule and this decision was the second time a federal court upheld the democratic election rule.

For decades, the deck was stacked against workers covered under the Rail Labor Act (RLA) because every worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote. The new NMB rule says that an election’s outcome will be decided by the majority of votes cast, just like every other election, from city council to the presidency.

View the full article by the AFL-CIO here