In about 2 weeks, the temporary funding for the FAA authorized in early August expires.  Already there is another political fight brewing over this funding and the issue, oddly enough, is centered on the National Mediation Board which governs labor with respect to airlines. 

Delta and Republicans are upset over a NMB rule issued that appears to make it easier to unionize airlines.  Originally, in a unionization vote a person who did not vote was counted as a “no”.  This resulted in unionization votes that saw votes for and against such but which lost because some portion of the labor pool simply did not vote.  The NMB’s new rules says you only count votes that are actually cast.   Failure to vote is not counted as anything.

Delta Airlines flipped out over this and it did appear that it was designed to make unionization easier at airlines.  At least  at first glance.  Now we’ve seen a number of votes take place and, oddly enough, that hasn’t happened.  The only difference is that even more people vote.   This rule change has not yet resulted in a change of outcome for unionization at any airlines. 

So, is it an issue?  I don’t think so.  Frankly, I thought it was a non-issue when it came about.  If airlines such as Delta thought that people who were skipping the votes were going to continue to do so, I find that laughable.  Of course people were going to go vote.  It’s the kind of thing that can materially change your career forever.  So far, Delta hasn’t been unionized in any way. 

As an aside, its time for unions to give it up at Delta.  There has been vote after vote there always resulting in the status quo being maintained.  People are happy and they’ve got a good workplace *without* paying union dues.  No one is mistreated at Delta and certainly no one is treated any worse or better than at any other airline.  It has permitted Delta to work more closely with its employees and be a more agile company.  There is a reason why Delta is financially succeeding in the toughest times an airline can experience.

Furthermore, the NMB is *not* governed by the FAA.  It’s in appropriate to tie the services performed by the FAA and the fortunes of its staff to a political fight over something that they have no control over.  It is inappropriate to try to extort a Presidency in this manner as well.  I’m happy to let politics be politics and I get that sometimes we have to go the long way to get someplace in politcs.  But this is one of those things that is over the line. 

A clean vote is the right way to do things on these subjects and the FAA deserves to experience more certainty in its future.  You can’t complain about the FAA getting things done when you fund them temporarily for weeks at a time for more than  a year.  In fact, you impact the services provided in a great way because no effective planning can be done. 

And to Congresscritters on both sides of the aisle:  play this fair or expect another steaming load of disgust coming your way from the citizens.  No one has time or patience for these shennanigans.

Filed under: Airline News by ajax