House GOP Beats Back Effort To Strip Anti-Union Measure From Aviation Bill

WASHINGTON -- On Friday, House Democrats and 16 House Republicans failed to remove a controversial provision from the Federal Aviation Administration re-authorization bill that would make it harder for unions to organize.

By a vote of 206 to 220, lawmakers rejected an effort to take out an amendment introduced by House Transportation Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) that was being heavily pushed by union officials and the White House. The amendment returns union election rules to pre-2009 rules that automatically count workers who do not vote in union elections as votes against union representation.

With Mica’s language part of the bill, the FAA’s re-authorization was passed by full house shortly thereafter by a vote of 223 to 196. Whether the amendment will survive the whole legislative process now becomes the focal point for labor operatives. Several prominent Senate Democrats have already pledged to remove the Mica amendment from the final bill when the two chambers merge their respective versions together. The President, too, has said that he has been advised to veto the legislation if it includes the anti-union language.

Union officials sounded a relatively upbeat note immediately after Friday’s vote. While the amendment to remove Mica’s language –- sponsored by Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Jerry Costello (D-IL) –- failed to pass, it did win the backing of 16 Republican members, with an additional four Republicans declined to vote at all. In contrast, only two Democrats declined to vote on the measure -- none voted in support of the amendment.

One union official who had been lobbying members to remove Mica’s language relayed that Republican leadership had been forced to exert a notable amount of arm-twisting simply to keep their caucus together. Even then, there were defections. LaTourette, a close ally of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), felt emboldened enough on the matter to denounce the Mica amendment on the floor Thursday night as another stage in a “whack-a-union” campaign.

Comments

[We Should Care]

09:21 AM on 04/04/2011

No legislation that discriminates against Unions should pass, watch out for small print in these bills that include anti-union language or any language that discriminates. Watch out for the bill that would force those on food stamps to lose them being affiliated to a Union or striking. Watch out for these sneaky republicans, they love to rob you in the middle of the night.

[farmilyman]

01:40 AM on 04/04/2011

Unions = middle class. That's why the are under attack. The wealthy can't get enough.

[Zenith1959]

06:37 PM on 04/03/2011

Maybe if unions changed their names to "Taxpayer Corporations" they could get the repubs on their side.

[vokesk51]

04:02 PM on 04/03/2011

Apparently Congressional Republicans haven't gotten the message yet that their union bashing is backfiring big time out here in the real world. It has united organized labor, brought home the Reagan Democrats, caused a sweeping shift in the support of independents and even incurred the wrath of self-identified Republicans.

See, most people, especially in the midwest, remember how good life was when they were represented by a union. Sure, everyone can point to an instance where the union fought to protect some goofball who wasn't working so everyone else had to pick up the slack. But they also remember wage increases, health and pension benefits and job security, and what that meant to their families. For many, it meant their children were the first generation in their family to go to college.

Those hard-won union benefits are what built the middle class. Trying to pit public employee unions against the private sector has only reminded people of that fact. Middle class voters have been looking for a long time for someone to blame for the mess the financial crisis has made of this country and their lives. Republicans have obligingly provided that answer for them, and they're going to pay a huge price at the ballot box come November of 2012.

[cordyc]

02:49 AM on 04/04/2011

I hope your right.

I have a Reagan Repub friend who began to see the light in 08 and worked for Obama and a local Dem in IL. The one thing she said she was still uncomfortable about was unions. So I asked her about a former employer we both had bad experiences with. The question was simple, "Do you think they could have gotten away with all the BS if the company had union workers?". I saw the light bulb go on.

Workers have the right to organize as a group to negotiate their working conditions. You can call it anything you want, but you can't try and take that right away from people. Lot's of light bulbs are finally coming on for the middle class.

[Colmore]

12:12 PM on 04/03/2011

Boehner looks like Howdy Doody in profile. I think Howdy was more sober and smarter, though.

[vesaversa1]

12:08 PM on 04/03/2011

It's baffling to me that the GOP continue their attacks on working /middle class American when these radical bills will only hurt them at the voting boots in 2012.Keep it up GOP .

[sueinmn]

11:07 AM on 04/03/2011

Fair elections should mean the same rules for all elections, including voting for republicans. These guys would never get elected under these same rules they wish to enforce on unions. Challenge this or its all over! Also writing voter ID bills to eliminate the voter base, well they might just as well go back to the days of whites ONLY and landowners ONLY allowed to vote. Hypocrits! Disenfranchizing methods I thought were ILLEGAL. Time to revisit the constitution and enforce its rights!

[Eileenla]

10:20 AM on 04/03/2011

So a non-vote counts as a no vote? Wow...if we do that for the presidential and congressional elections, we could throw out everyone in office and eliminate the government altogether! How can we the people write THAT into a bill?

[dpmol]

11:05 AM on 04/03/2011

by adding "none of the above" to all ballots...that might inspire somebody.

[sueinmn]

11:08 AM on 04/03/2011

So true!

[Sanity Rules]

10:07 AM on 04/03/2011

Hey House Republicans...where are the jobs????

[ddDinah]

09:55 AM on 04/03/2011

House GOP passes 'force of law' spending bill mocked by Dems
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/153355-house-gop-approves-budget-bill-ignores-dem-constitutional-arguments

Can the House “deem” a bill into law?
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/02/can-the-house-deem-a-bill-into-law/

[cordyc]

02:51 AM on 04/04/2011

Next thing you know they'll show up with Laser Cats.

[Deschris]

09:54 AM on 04/03/2011

It will not make it to Obama's desk with the MIca amendment and if it does it will be vetoed.Bring it on thugs!

[pita143]

10:12 AM on 04/03/2011

the ONLY thugs here are the GOP who seem to forget that Union Members pay much more than the average hold hold in Taxes each and every year.

[KarateKid]

09:22 AM on 04/03/2011

The veto pen beckons, if it even passes in the Senate. Boehner knows this, yet continues to waste time and money with these pandering moves that have no chance of succeeding.

They continue to play games while people continue to suffer.

What a disgrace Congress is.

[cheo]

06:25 PM on 04/03/2011

They have no answers to anything other than to cut taxes. They have no idea how to create jobs; instead they pursue unpopular and socially radical agendas meant to divide and disenfranchise people (particularly those who vote Democratic) and pretend to be deficit hawks even as every move they make would raise the deficit. (as if cutting the deficit while the recovery is on such thin ice is even a good idea).
I believe they don't care one whit about jobs even if their ideology would allow them to come up with plans; a recovering economy will not help them get the WH in 2012.
In the meantime they figure if they put the words "Job-Killiing" or "Big Spending" in front of everything they are trying to change, dismantle or pass, that it LOOK like they are doing something.
And in the meantime all the Newthink State Guvs are doing their part by creating as much destruction and disenfranchisement of Dem voters and funding sources as possible.

[cordyc]

02:55 AM on 04/04/2011

And coming up with schemes to put more taxpayer money in their own pockets.

FL Scott and his drug testing scheme for all state employee done at his wifes company.

WI Walker giving away the state power plants in sweetheart deals to his buddies.

Ca Redevelopment Agencies that give wealthy developers tax dollars for shopping centers, movie theaters and gold courses.

[barrada nicto]

09:10 AM on 04/03/2011

Without unions we're separate individuals against large corporations. The corporations will win every time. Wages and conditions will continue to fall.

The American dream will be a distant memory.

[Sanity Rules]

10:08 AM on 04/03/2011

Barrada, you are so right.

[pita143]

10:14 AM on 04/03/2011

There you go being logical again. That does not work against the GOPpers. Those minions who openly support the GOP on this site, and many others, seem to think that they are exempt from what Corporations will do to them. Boy are they in denial. If the GOP wins than we can expect to see reversal and repeal of Workers rights laws state by state.

[SangZe]

09:07 AM on 04/03/2011

If American workers are so stupid that they not only refuse to rise up against those who would enslave them, but happily vote them into office over and over again, they deserve their serfdom. If Obama doesn't show some spine and act to stop the outrages, people must rise up and act themselves. The democrats are proven failures. It's time for a new party, one that's not afraid of its own shadow.

[pita143]

10:15 AM on 04/03/2011

The Democrats are proven failures? Are you kidding me. Repeatedly Republican Presidents have put the USA in more and more debt, and it is REPEATEDLY the Democrats who have to come in and balance the books, only to be jumped on by the Republicans.
Learn a few facts about WHO are proven failures.