Airport Workers’ Union Vote Tossed by Board Over Jurisdiction

The National Labor Relations Board wiped out a unionization vote by baggage handlers at Portland International Airport that it had approved during the Obama administration, ruling that it didn’t have authority over the handlers’ employer.

A divided NLRB said in a Nov. 14 decision that facility operations contractor ABM Onsite Services-West Inc. is engaged in interstate air transport, so it falls under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board. The NMB administers the Railway Labor Act, the federal law governing labor relations for rail companies and airlines.

The decision delivers a setback to unions aiming to organize baggage handlers, plane ...