Jon Katz
4/3/2009, 04:57 PM
Another battle is brewing over a bill that could make it easier for workers to organize. The bill, approved March 5 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and now in the hands of Congress, would put FedEx Corp. workers under the National Labor Relations Act rather than the Railway Labor Act.
So what's the big deal? Because FedEx was formed initially as an airline, it comes under jurisdiction of the railway act, meaning unionization efforts require companywide employee votes, according to the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123791678454427343.html).
Under the National Labor Relations Act, workers vote based on location -- obviously making it much easier to gain a majority vote to unionize.
In response to the bill, the Journal reported that:
FedEx Corp is threatening to cancel billions of dollars of new Boeing Co. cargo planes if Congress passes a law that would make it easier for unions to organize at the package-delivery company.
Apparently, FedEx sees the bill as a major threat to an advantage it holds over competitor UPS.
In the upcoming May issue of IndustryWeek I'll be addressing union/management relationships and where they stand today along with Web-exclusive content that touches on key issues such as the Employee Free Choice Act, or "card check" legislation.
So what's the big deal? Because FedEx was formed initially as an airline, it comes under jurisdiction of the railway act, meaning unionization efforts require companywide employee votes, according to the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123791678454427343.html).
Under the National Labor Relations Act, workers vote based on location -- obviously making it much easier to gain a majority vote to unionize.
In response to the bill, the Journal reported that:
FedEx Corp is threatening to cancel billions of dollars of new Boeing Co. cargo planes if Congress passes a law that would make it easier for unions to organize at the package-delivery company.
Apparently, FedEx sees the bill as a major threat to an advantage it holds over competitor UPS.
In the upcoming May issue of IndustryWeek I'll be addressing union/management relationships and where they stand today along with Web-exclusive content that touches on key issues such as the Employee Free Choice Act, or "card check" legislation.