Airlines are under the Railway Labor Act because Congress put them there in 1932, and they are almost totally unionized.

[1] https://nmb.gov/NMB_Application/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/R...

> SpaceX quickly fired the employees, with President Gwynne Shotwell explaining in an email to the remaining staff that the “letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views.”

> “Blanketing thousands of people across the company with repeated unsolicited emails and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys during the work day is not acceptable,” Shotwell wrote to SpaceX staff. The fired employees filed charges with the NLRB in November 2022.

Let's set aside whether or not you like Mr. Musk at all. Personally I think saying he's been a "frequent source of embarrassment" is being generous to him. And also set aside whether it is or isn't "like an airline" or whatever. Just to speak of the complaint itself, does it strike anyone else as absurd? If I start circulating messages to thousands of my coworkers that "Mr. CEO is an embarrassment and terrible, sign my petition blah blah blah" I would not think it unfair that that same guy stops signing my paychecks. What am I missing here about US "labor laws"? I know you're protected from retaliation when you are whistleblowing, reporting harassment, etc. -- but these people's problem seems to just be that they hate their CEO (but still claim to want to work for him).

Honest question here.

SpaceX is not a mail carrier or common carrier by any means. It is executing contracts for launches. And comparing it to railroads and classifying it similarly is also unethical. Railroad workers have been grossly abused by companies like BNSF, with terrible working conditions and pay and little ability to push back.

Finally, the fact that the Trump administration would apply this to all of SpaceX, including Twitter, is also insane.

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

But seriously, how does this degenerate scammer keep getting away with it, it's unbelievable. Has any con man in history operated as long as Elon at this scale? You'd probably have to go back to ancient times. Or maybe it's just recently that people have become so gullible, social media probably plays a big role.

If it isn't, then voters should vote for the opposite policy--allowing the airlines to stop working whenever they want.