A federal labor board said it will conduct full investigations into three union elections among ground workers at Delta Air Lines to determine whether the airline illegally interfered in the elections.
The International Association of Machinists union lost the three elections among baggage handlers, customer service workers and stock clerks late last year.
The National Mediation Board, which governs labor relations at airlines and railroads, sent memos saying that after reviewing submissions by the union and Delta, "further investigation is needed" to determine if conditions for a fair vote were tainted.
The letters from the Mediation board followed a similar memo last week regarding further investigation into the Association of Flight Attendants election at Delta last year.
Both the flight attendants union and the machinists union are seeking re-votes. The Mediation Board will conduct on-site investigations and interview employees, a process that could take several months.
The elections were conducted after the Delta-Northwest merger to determine whether the combined workforce from non-union Delta and unionized Northwest would be unionized. Employees voted against unionization in all of the elections.
The Machinists union, in its appeal filed last December, said Delta "created an atmosphere of such widespread surveillance, coercion and intimidation that a fair election was impossible." The union also alleged that Delta coerced employees to vote from company-controlled computers, and held captive audience meetings and one-on-one meetings with employees "to convey anti-IAM information and misinform employees about voting."
Delta said it was disappointed in the Mediation Board's decision, adding, "We continue to believe the IAM's claims are without merit." In a memo to employees, Delta executives wrote that the company provided information to the Mediation Board to show it did not interfere in the elections, as well as information about the union misconduct.
