JetBlue Pilots to Unionize

The National Mediation Board said today that pilots at JetBlue voted overwhelmingly to unionize, reversing two earlier votes. The pilots will join the Air Line Pilots Association. Of the 96% of pilots eligible to vote, the association said 71% voted to unionize. JetBlue has more than 2,500 pilots. Both the airline and the pilot's union will now organize negotiating committees, said JetBlue CEO Dave Barger. ALPA President Capt. Lee Moak said the organizing campaign succeeded because the pilots wanted a collectively bargained contract and an advocate if their company becomes involved in a merger.

On a conference call with reporters, Moak declined to predict how long it would take to negotiate a contract with JetBlue or whether the vote would help unions woo other workers at the New York-based airline. Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world's largest pilot union, billing itself as representing nearly 50,000 pilots and 31 airlines in the United States and Canada. Shares of JetBlue Airlines Corp. fell 17 cents, or 1.9%, to close at $8.59. (More JetBlue stories.)