US Congress votes to ease way for unions to organise FedEx

The US House of Representatives has voted for and aviation bill, which if accepted by the Senate, will make it easier for FedEx employees to be unionised.

The clause amends union rules governing express delivery staff such as FedEx workers, now under the more restrictive Railway Labour Act (RLA), but who would be re-classified with employees at other carriers, such as UPS, who are freer to organise under the National Labour Relations Act (NLRA) if the Senate passes the House bill.

FedEx has fought the measure and has since launched an advertising campaign mocking UPS commercials and referring to the amendment as a "brown bailout", American Shipper reported.

Under the tabled guidelines, only employees with positions eligible for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification, such as pilots or mechanics, would be governed by the RLA, while all other staff would fall under the NLRA.

The legislation amending the discrepancy, dubbed the 2010 Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernisation and Safety Improvement Act (FAATMSIA), passed the House with a 131 vote majority.

Upon successful passage, the FAATMSIA will also increase FAA funding to unprecedented levels.

(Source: www.schednet.com)