The American Spectator

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) held a conference call this afternoon about language he inserted in the FAA reauthorization bill overturning overturning a National Mediation Board ruling that made it easier to unionize airline and rail workers. The details can be found in this piece by Ivan Osorio and Russ Brown on the main site, but here are the basics: for 75 years, abstentions were counted as “no” votes. Now they don’t count at all, allowing unions to organize even if the “yes” votes are a minority of the workers being unionized.

Gingrey is hitting back against an amendment by fellow Republican Steve  LaTourette of Ohio and Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) that would strip this language and keep the union-friendly labor rule in place. Gingrey declined to speculate on their motivations, aside from possibly having union constituents. But he argued that the new rule was unfair to workers who did not wish to join a union and adopted by a process that “usurps”  the legislative powers of Congress.

I was struck that Gingrey seemed to think his language could win enough Democratic votes to pass the Senate and he even held open the possibility of commanding a “veto-proof” majority that could override President Obama.

UPDATE: The White House is now in fact threatening to veto the FAA reauthorization bill if it reaches the president’s desk with the Gingrey provision in it.