The National Mediation Board (NMB) ruled today that nearly 1,000 current IAM members whom United Airlines was seeking to remove from the voter eligibility list have the right to vote in the Passenger Service and Reservation election.
In ruling for the IAM, the NMB overturned their own Investigators’ February 10 ruling favoring United. A complete written decision by the Board is forthcoming and will be available at www.voteiam.com.
While the NMB granted the IAM’s appeal, it also extended the voting period.
An excerpt from the ruling: “The National Mediation Board grants the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ February 13, 2012 appeal and reverses the Investigators’ February 10, 2012 ruling with regard to the 706 Customer Service Representatives who work at United’s line stations, the 152 Air Freight Representatives, and the 117 Station Operations Representatives.
In light of the potential for voter confusion, the voting period will be extended. The tally will now take place at the Board’s offices on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at 2 p.m., ET.
“The Machinists Union aggressively defended our members’ rights when United tried to silence its employees,” said Transportation GVP Sito Pantoja. “This is what Unions do – stand up for workers. United/Continental Passenger Service employees must still vote for the Machinists Union, or the employee protections the IAM provides will be lost on March 7.”
In light of the extension of the voting period, the NMB will accept requests for duplicate voting instructions through Friday, March 2, 2012. Duplicate Voting Instruction request forms are available here.
