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Senate Rejects Isakson Resolution to Kill Democracy in Airline and Rail Union Elections

WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, issued the following statement in response to a resolution of disapproval that proposed throwing out the National Mediation Board’s amended election rules for airline and rail union elections:

“We’re pleased that a resolution to kill democracy in the workplace was voted down by a majority of the Senate and received a veto threat from President Obama today.

“It probably comes as no surprise to working Americans that obstructionists in the U.S. Senate again wasted valuable Senate floor time today to do the bidding of big corporations at the expense of workers. Today’s senseless debate was over a challenge to the National Mediation Board’s updated union election procedures – led by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) – in an attempt to undo reforms that are giving tens of thousands of airline and rail workers the hope of a union fighting for them for good wages and retirement security.

“The recent changes replace old procedures that required a majority of workers to vote just to validate a union election, and any worker who didn’t participate in an election was tallied as a ‘no’ vote. The changes, which went into effect on July 1, advanced a simple democratic proposition: the majority opinion of workers who participate should decide the election.

“The Senate was right to dismiss this baseless challenge. Hopefully now it can get back to work on reviving the economy and putting Americans back to work.”

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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit ttd.org.

Attached Document or File This press release on TTD letterhead