Obama admin eviscerates rail, airline workers’ right

I read your recent article (“Transit unions intensify organizing in wake of crucial rule change” Sept. 8) concerning unionization in the airline and railway industries with interest.  Unfortunately, the article missed a key point when detailing the ramifications of the Obama administration’s decision to overturn the Majority Rule that had been in place for seven decades.

Under the now-repealed Majority Rule, a majority of the workers in the organizing unit were required to affirmatively vote “yes” to organize a union. This rule, upheld twice by the Supreme Court, was appropriate because the recognition of a union under the Railway Labor Act is essentially permanent. While existing practice allows for a cumbersome and slow union dissolution process, the Railway Labor Act has no decertification process as there is under the National Labor Relations Act. The Obama administration’s decision to repeal this rule means that now a minority of the bargaining unit can organize — permanently — the entire organizing unit.

{mosads}As an example, under the Majority Rule, if a bargaining unit had 6,000 employees, 3,001 must have voted for a union to organize the unit. However, under the new rule, if only 1,000 of 6,000 vote, and 501 of those 1,000 vote yes, all 6,000 are permanently unionized, even if a majority of them become disenchanted with the union leadership.

In 1985, the Supreme Court, in Russell v. National Mediation Board decided “employees were given the right under the (Railway Labor) Act not only to opt for collective bargaining, but to reject it as well.” Sadly, the decision by the Obama administration to extend yet another favor to their union allies eviscerates this right for workers throughout the airline and railway industries.

Washington, D.C.

Conrad Quagliaroli

ObamaCare denial shows Dems lie to get reelected

I thought ObamaCare was the “crown jewel” of President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress. Yet, the Democrats running for reelection aren’t only not bringing it up, they are shunning it as if it were the plague, saying, “Send me back to Washington so I can fix the health care bill.”  

They told you it would lower healthcare costs, yet President Obama recently said, “Of course, we knew prices would go up.” Leading up to the passage of the healthcare bill, these same Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan if you liked it. Now, we know it will drive up prices for employers who will certainly change the healthcare plans of most Americans. 

The bottom line is, these Democrats are lying and have proven they will say anything to get elected. Don’t be fooled. 

Woodstock, Ga.