President Obama has threatened to veto the FAA funding bill to protect a rule his administration passed last year that makes it easier for airline and railroad workers to unionize.
Back in May of last year, the National Mediation Board issued a new rule (PDF) that allowed a simple majority of votes cast to determine unionization in those industries, reversing a rule that stood for 75 years that had required the support of a majority of all workers. The FAA bill, up for a vote in the House of Representatives perhaps this week, includes a provision that would overturn the rule, but in a statement released Wednesday night, the White House said Obama would veto any bill that included the measure, underlining for emphasis:
Vetoing the legislation would have serious consequences, because the FAA bill’s passage is necessary to keep it operating. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said in a conference call earlier that any final bill must include the provision that would restore pre-Obama union organizing rules. More on Gingrey’s comments, and the broader issue, here.
