April 8, 2024
Dear Representative:
On behalf of our affiliated unions, which represent hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) urges you to join Congressional Labor Caucus co-chairs Mark Pocan (D-WI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and Steven Horsford (D-NV), along with Representatives Grace Meng (D-NY) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), in a letter (below) to support workers organizing at JetBlue Airlines.
The letter urges the leadership of JetBlue Airlines to pledge not to interfere in any union organizing activities by adopting a neutrality agreement. Your support would send a clear signal that workers should have the right and ability to organize and form a union, rights that must be respected at JetBlue Airlines. This neutrality agreement would allow JetBlue workers – from mechanics, dispatchers, and passenger service agents –– to determine for themselves whether they want to exercise their rights to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions if they wish.
As the nation’s largest transportation labor federation, TTD represents hundreds of thousands of workers who build, operate, and maintain our transportation network across the United States. We thank Members for considering workers’ perspectives in this matter and urge you to join the Congressional Labor Caucus to support JetBlue workers and their efforts to form a union. The deadline to sign this letter is Tuesday, April 16. Please get in touch with Tommy Wolfe with the Labor Caucus (tommy.wolfe@mail.house.gov), Tom Dinegar with Rep. Meng (tom.dinegar@mail.house.gov), or Niko Keddy with Rep. Garbarino (niko.keddy@mail.house.gov) to sign on.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact TTD’s Legislative Representative, Lianne Endo, at liannee@ttd.org.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan, President
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
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Dear Colleague:
Reps. Meng, Garbarino, and the Labor Caucus Co-Chairs (Reps. Pocan, Norcross, Dingell, and Horsford) invite you to sign the below letter encouraging JetBlue Airlines to adopt a neutrality agreement towards the ongoing campaign by its employees to form a union.
As you may know, certain JetBlue employees are leading campaign to form a union, but there have been instances reported of anti-organizing interference from management — including the sending of anti-union mailers and emails, as well as the posting of anti-union signage in breakrooms. Such actions result in a chilling effect for workers and highlight the need for a neutrality agreement.
This letter simply encourages JetBlue to respect the voices of its employees by pledging not to interfere in any union organizing activities by adopting a neutrality agreement. A neutrality agreement consists of an employer agreeing not to engage in pre-election activities that influence workers’ freedom to form a union.
The deadline to sign onto this letter is Tuesday, April 16. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Tommy Wolfe with the Labor Caucus (tommy.wolfe@mail.house.gov), Tom Dinegar with Rep. Meng (tom.dinegar@mail.house.gov) or Niko Keddy with Rep. Garbarino (niko.keddy@mail.house.gov).
Sincerely,
Grace Meng
Member of Congress
Andrew Garbarino
Member of Congress
Donald Norcross
Member of Congress
Mark Pocan
Member of Congress
Debbie Dingell
Member of Congress
Steven Horsford
Member of Congress
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Dear Ms. Geraghty:
We are writing regarding ongoing unionization efforts at JetBlue. In accordance with the Railway Labor Act’s directive that employers shall not “interfere… influence or coerce” their employees in their choice of a workplace representative, we encourage JetBlue to adopt a neutrality agreement as employee unionization efforts continue. We have heard concerns from our constituents who are scared to exercise their rights to collectively organize due to fear of reprisal from their employer, but a clear commitment from JetBlue to respect the voice of its employees would send a strong signal to our constituents that their statutory rights will be protected.
As is required by law, unionization efforts must be permitted to occur free from interference, whether from supervisors or organizations at-large. However, it has come to our attention that there have been instances of anti-organizing interference at JetBlue from management. This includes JetBlue corporate sending anti-union mailers and emails to workers and posting anti-union signage in breakrooms. Such instances of interference result in a chilling effect for our constituents – both those who are directly employed by JetBlue and others who seek to exercise their organizing rights at other workplaces – and they highlight the need for a neutrality agreement.
Adopting a neutrality agreement simply involves an employer agreeing not to engage in pre-election activities that influence workers’ freedom to form a union. Your commitment to neutrality would ensure that management does not pressure workers into voting against unionization or delaying the election process, and it would signal to workers that supporting an organizing drive would not negatively impact their employment. We believe a neutrality agreement would demonstrate JetBlue’s respect for workers’ rights and would comply with the Railway Labor Act’s directive to not impact its employees in their choice of a workplace representative.
All workers should have the free and fair choice to join a union, as required by law. As JetBlue employees consider the option to do so, we urge JetBlue to adopt a neutrality agreement regarding any efforts by its employees to unionize and to commit to bargaining in good faith if your employees do choose to form a union.
Thank you for your consideration.