(The following story by Julie Johnsson appeared on the Chicago Tribune website on May 22, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama finally has clearance to add two senior transportation officials to his administration, both of whom formerly headed airline unions.
The U.S. Senate Thursday confirmed former pilots union chief J. Randolph Babbitt as head of the Federal Aviation Administration, filling a post that has been empty for more than two years.
Senators also confirmed Linda Puchala, a former leader of the largest flight attendants union, as a member of the National Mediation Board, an obscure post with significant influence over the airline industry.
Airline unions, vocal supporters of Obama during his candidacy, had been counting on the president to tilt labor policy in their favor as they hammer out new contracts with five of the six largest carriers.
Puchala, who has spent the last decade as a senior mediator at the board, has garnered praise for her conflict-resolution skills from airline executives and union leaders.
She could prove influential as talks heat up at United and American Airlines, which are negotiating with all of their major unions. Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs the airline industry, workers are prohibited from striking until talks run through a process that can take years.
The three-member NMB plays a critical role as a referee when airline contract talks turn ugly. Under federal law, there is no timetable for the two sides to reach agreement on a contract until the board declares them to be at an impasse.
This triggers a 30-day “cooling off” period before workers can walk off the job, which is when strike plans heat up. The president can intervene after this point to avert a strike or to urge the two sides to settle.
Many in labor felt that during the Bush Administration the board was reluctant to declare an impasse because doing so would have given unions greater clout in forcing management to reach new terms.