Transportation NewsWire
February 3, 2009
Immediate Action Needed
to Protect Air and Rail Workers
http://www.goiam.org/transportation
The Bush administration has spent the last eight years appointing anti-labor people to all areas of the federal government, including the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that has jurisdiction over labor-management relations in the airline and railroad industries.
President Barack Obama has an opportunity to replace the Mediation Board’s anti-worker chair, Read Van De Water, with a labor-friendly appointee. Van De Water, whose term expired in July 2006, previously was the legislative counsel for international trade and investment with the Business Roundtable, and legislative counsel and director of government affairs for Northwest Airlines.
Restore Fairness to the National Mediation Board
“The Bush Mediation Board hindered Amtrak negotiations for eight years,
unilaterally eliminated the collective bargaining rights of airport service workers and
condoned anti-union campaigns aimed at airline employees,” said Transportation GVP
Robert Roach, Jr. “Workers need a National Mediation Board that defends the rights
of air and rail employees, and IAM members can help make that happen.”
Congresswoman Lucille Royball-Allard (D-CA) is urging her fellow members to sign on to a letter urging President Barack Obama urging to take swift action to appoint new members to the National Mediation Board.
With pressing issues such as the pending merger of Delta and Northwest and new rounds of airline and railroad industry bargaining ahead, IAM members are asked to take a few brief moments to urge your U.S. Representative to sign on to Rep. Royball-Allard’s letter to restore fairness to the National Mediation Board. You can call, write a custom email or send a pre-written message to your representative directly through the IAM website at http://www.goiam.org/transportation.
IAM Transportation Department – General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr.
9000 Machinists Place,
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
www.goiam.org/transportation