The National Mediation Board (NMB) is considering changing its interpretation of a 75-year-old U.S. labor law governing airline and rail union elections, a politically charged proposal that could open the door for more unionization in the industry.

For a sector that is already stumbling financially and facing collective bargaining pressure from unions over past concessions, any changes to the law that could make it easier for unions to take root are being strongly opposed.

And it does not end with the airlines; the impact could be felt by all aviation-related companies. As one Boeing representative put it, it may not directly affect the manufacturer now, but any change to established labor law is reason for all to get involved in this debate.

What has spurred the issue is a Nov. 3 notice in the Federal Register by the NMB, proposing to change the current system that requires 50% plus one of eligible voters to vote in an election; “no” votes are ascribed to those who do not vote. This system is in place in the U.S. only for airlines and railroad companies under the Railway Labor Act. The NMB’s proposed rulemaking would count a majority of valid ballots cast to determine the outcome of the election. In other words, a minority of workers could eventually vote a union onto the property.

Opponents say there is no legal basis for the change, and unions are simply taking advantage of the political climate with a Democrat in the White House.

However tedious rulemaking procedures may seem, this one has brought to the forefront the decades-old question of whether the airline industry is so key to the economic stability of the nation that it should be regulated differently than any other industry by making it more difficult for workers to strike.