We have talked about the “FedEx Special Deal” which misclassifies workers and has succeeded in placing many of our coworkers under improper labor law. Our legislation, the Express Carrier Employee Protection Act, would reclassify all those workers who are not licensed airmen, licensed aircraft maintenance technicians, and licensed aircraft dispatchers and place them under the jurisdiction of the NLRA. This
would include sorters, couriers, truck drivers, sort maintenance, GSE Techs,Vehicle Techs, ASA’s, and the list goes on. The bottom line is that it will be easier for us to form a union if the Express Carrier Employee Protection Act passes and we are covered by the NLRA. (We are the very employees the Express Carrier Employee
Protection Act is supposed to protect!)

What does that mean to be under the appropriate law, the National Labor Relations Act?

It means that a new set of legal guidelines would cover all aspects of the non-licensed workers’ attempt to unionize. Under the National Labor Relations Act it will be easier to form our union because we would have the opportunity to organize site by site, location by location and classification by classification.

For example, we could form our union with GSE Techs (and others with a community of interest with GSE Techs) in Buffalo, New York, or sort maintenance in Memphis, without waiting for others. Each location and each job (within the community of interest guidelines of the NLRA) could form their union separately. This makes the process much simpler. No nationwide vote is needed. In fact the election process moves more quickly and it is only required that you receive a simple majority of those that vote to form your union.

For example, if you have 20 GSE Techs and any other workers with a community of interest in Portland, Oregon and go to an election to form your union with the Teamsters it would only take a count of 11 “yes for union representation” votes to gain your voice in the workplace. In the event that only 16 of the 20 actually vote, you would only need 9 “yes” votes. These examples alone make the process much easier.

Under the NLRA, it is entirely possible that non-licensed workers will actually be Teamsters before any of the licensed workforce. Let’s get this done. Let’s get a contract. No company should be able to take workers rights to freedom of association
away like FedEx has done to us. We must pass the Express Carrier Employee Protection Act legislation.