Bob Owens said:
The RLA hurts workers.
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The NLRA keeps workers from organizing in the first place and, being subject to the states RTW laws, ensures that if they do they are weakened from within.
Under the RLA, a union's representation certification is linked to the carriers operating certificate, under the NLRA no such link exists. A simple name change is all that is required for management to be shed of the union.
A strike in just one station could be effective, in fact thats why they made the RLA.
A strike in a single station with a railroad is hard to avoid, but not so with the airlines. It's a lot harder to divert a train.
If you had to organize AA one station at a time, how long do you think it would take? Would you be able to prevent management from closing that station as Wal-Mart does when one of their stores organizes?
This allows the company to take pot shots at the union while denying the union the right to hit back.
As does the NLRA.
The UNION benifits from the RLA in that it makes it harder for the members to hold the union accountable....
The NLRA does nothing in this instance that the RLA doesn't do. The only real accountability comes from the LMRDA and the unions own constitution, which apply equally to either case.
...harder to organize a decertification drive...
Again, only because of the requirement for system-wide organizing.
...and allows a union security clause to remain in effect even in RTW states...
In RTW states under the NLRA, an average of 40% of the workers choose not to belong to the union, yet still enjoy union pay and benefits and have a legal right to representation by the union, even though they are not members and pay no dues or fees. Then during strikes they proudly cross the picket lines.
They can not react to contract violations unless the politically tamperable NMB declares that there is a major dispute, often after a legnthy process.
The NLRB is no different, but more susceptable to state politics, than the NMB.
While I will not argue that systemwide solidarity is a better option the fact is that the RLA does not foster this.
But a carrier must be organized on a system-wide basis under the RLA, while it is virtually impossible under the NLRA, so if one is seeking system-wide solidarity the RLA is the better choice.
It allows unions to become a divisive element as we have with the TWU.
If we could freely leave our affiliation with Tulsa then those workers might be more inclined to give our situation some thought.
Changing the labor laws that apply to the airlines will not fix either of those problems, but it will give you new ones.
So the RLA makes it hard for members to hold their unions accountable, results in a tyranny of the majority where minoority interests are ignored-destroying unity, gives incompetant unions an excuse not to fight and gives the company all the time it needs to prepare to fight, or, as you guys saw in the 90s, simply put off the fight until years into the future when circumstances have changed.
The attributes you ascribe to the RLA are true for the NLRA also, but under the NLRA a union finds itself further divided and weaker, if it is able to organize and maintain representation at all.
Having participated in NLRA organizing campaigns, assisting the UFCW and the AFT, I have had an opportunity to experience the NLRA, and the NLRB, first hand. I came into it with the same opinion of the RLA that you have but left with a greater appreciation of the benefits of the RLA, particularly for large companies like airlines.
The fact that the AirCon group and almost all airline managements support moving their workers into the NLRA should tell you something.