(Source: USA Today, February 2, 2012)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration would get a four-year authorization after years of temporary extensions, under a compromise that congressional negotiators announced Tuesday. The bill sets a new requirement for half the workers in a bargaining unit to petition the National Mediation Board for a vote to certify a union, up from the current 35%.
The labor provision proved the most contentious and came in reaction to a National Mediation Board rule change in 2009. The board decided that when airline and railway workers vote, a majority of those voting could certify a union rather than the previous standard of a majority of eligible voters.
“In my opinion, it has no place in this legislation,” said Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia, the top Democrat on the House transportation committee.
Full story: USA Today