On the recordSeptember 23, 2010
let me take a moment to share a few alternative ideas to the distinguished Senator's representation. First of all, with regard to Ms. Puchala's response to my question in the confirmation hearing that all rules ought to be judged on their merit, I think that is a very good response. But it is coincidental or ironic that in one of the largest union votes in the history of America--the vote that will take place between Delta and Northwest employees on whether to unionize flight attendants--that when they were sworn in as board members, the previous application by the union for an election was postponed to give enough time for the rule change to take place in the first place. I do not know if that was judgment on merit or whether it happened to be just coincidental timing. I will say it was probably not based solely on the merit of the decision. Secondly--and I love the Senator from Iowa. He and I are dear friends--if you follow his thought process on not counting ``no'' votes, you have to look at this. Past practice at the National Mediation Board dictated that an absolute majority of workers in the class be required to vote to unionize, and once that union takes place it is a permanent decision. Yes, there is an archaic straw-man alternative. However, if you follow the thought of the Senator from Iowa in its entirety, once we are elected to the Senate, we would not have to run for reelection again.
