Delta Flight Attendants Narrowly Miss Getting A Union

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/8656

By Doug Cunningham

Despite winning a majority of the votes cast the Association of Flight Attendants – CWA won’t be representing Delta flight attendants just yet. The union says Delta flight attendants narrowly missed a chance to form a union because of federal rules and Delta management’s voter suppression. The rules require a majority of the workers to cast ballots. The union says Delta management aggressively suppressed the vote. About 40 percent of the eligible flight attendants voted, so the union did not get certified to represent the workers at Delta. But another vote in connection with Delta’s merger with Northwest is coming up and the union is optimistic that workers will get their union then. The AFA-CWA says Delta management across the country, put up signs in crew rooms with anti-union messages urging flight attendants not to vote and tried to intimidate flight attendants into not voting in the union election. The union says it will file formal charges over this alleged voter suppression in June.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

1. AP has more info...

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080528/delta_flight_attendants.html?.v=3

Delta flight attendants unsuccessful on union vote
Wednesday May 28, 6:07 pm ET
By Harry R. Weber, AP Business Writer


The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in a statement Wednesday that not enough of the eligible flight attendants voted, and therefore the results, despite showing solid support from those people who did vote, did not meet the certification requirements of the National Mediation Board.

Federal rules require a majority turnout by those eligible to vote.

There were only 5,375 total votes cast. National Mediation Board rules required 6,691 ballots to be cast for the election to count. There were 13,380 Delta flight attendants eligible to vote.

Of those flight attendants who did vote, 5,306 voted in favor of the AFA-CWA becoming the union for Delta flight attendants. There were 69 write-in votes in favor of other unions.

A similar effort in late 2001 was rejected in election results announced on Feb. 1, 2002.

Full Story at Link

On Edit: %98.7 Vote in favor of AFA-CWA representation.....but it DOESN'T COUNT. :wtf:

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. OK, now I "Get It"...It's not a yes-no vote

Federal rules require a majority turnout by those eligible to vote.

So, 40% of those eligible voted for for CWA representation. Not exactly a "narrow" miss, as described in the OP.

[Arctic Dave]

2. This is a bummer. I just talked with two flight attendents this

afternoon they had a lay over in Anchorage and they were really hoping for positive union vote.