House Republicans would rather shut down the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and put the flying public at risk than allow aviation and rail workers a simple majority vote—the same process that applies to electing lawmakers—on whether to join a union.

This incredible hostage-taking of a bill to reauthorize funding for the FAA—which expires Friday—is all about a new rule adopted last year by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that says air and rail elections should be decided by a majority of votes cast. Previously under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which covers rail and airline workers, each worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote.

If new funding isn’t approved, air traffic controllers would remain on the job, but the agency’s other 32,000 workers, including safety inspectors and other vital workers, face furloughs.

Last week, House Republicans put a “poison pill” amendment in a temporary reauthorization bill that Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee, admitted was a ploy to force the Senate to accept the House version of full reauthorization that eliminates the right of rail and aviation workers to fair elections.

This afternoon, the White House issued a statement on the Mica temporary extension bill that reiterated that administration’s support of clean bill. It said the Mica bill:

needlessly threatens critical FAA programs and jeopardizes thousands of public and private sector jobs… The FAA’s ability to award new grants, including for infrastructure upgrades at airports across the country, as well as to move forward with vital testing and implementation of the Next Generation air traffic control system would come to a stop.

Earlier this year the House passed an FAA bill that included a provision to overturn the fair election rule. The Senate version did not include it, and President Obama vowed to veto any bill that eliminated the workers’ right to a democratic election. Says Edward Wytkind, President of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD):

Republican leaders are doing the bidding of a few airline CEOs who refuse to allow this bill to move forward unless it eviscerates fair union election rules. No wonder the public is growing weary of the Majority Leaders in the House and their tactics.

In a letter to Mica yesterday, Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said Mica’s poison pill amendment, which would end federal subsidies that help fund air service for 13 small rural airports, is:

in retaliation for the Senate’s refusal to accept your language on the  National Mediation Board…I made it clear from the beginning of our negotiations that the NMB language included in your bill—or any other language adversely impacting workers’ rights—could not pass the Senate…Your attempt to punish the Senate by hurting small community air service has backfired.  It only guarantees the Senate will reject the FAA extension.

He urged Mica to reconsider and pass a clean extension and then begin work on a conference over the full reauthorization.

You need to think about this very, very carefully. Any consequences from such action will fall squarely on your shoulders. Right now you are in control of the agency’s immediate future.