Pros And Cons Of The Railway Labor Act

The Railway Labor Act is “a unique bill that was jointly crafted by labor and management” (Budd 117). It was created as a law in 1926, airlines were added to this in 1936, and they are both still regulated by this today. This act was created to help stop strikes at work that could interrupt interstate commerce, such as depriving any part of the country essential transportation services. There were decades of railroad labor unrest, where widespread work stoppages pitted federal soldiers against the workers who were striking. Two years prior to the signing of this act, President Calvin Coolidge wanted Railroads and Unions to recommend legislation for better labor and management relations that would reduce the dangers of railroad shutdowns. They

You cannot strike over a minor dispute, but you can strike and use self-help over a major dispute after they have used the negotiation and meditation procedures. Major disputes deal with matters affecting pay rates, working conditions, rules, and modifying the collective bargaining agreement. These types of disputes rely almost completely on collective bargaining to settle them. Minor disputes deal with grievances that grow out of the interpretation of the collective bargaining agreements. Self-help is not permitted for minor disputes, the National Railroad Board Adjustment have exclusive jurisdictions. There are a few pros of the Railway Labor Act, one being that employees can sue in federal court if they feel like an employer is violating this act. Employees can receive reinstatement and backpay as seen fit by the courts. Another pro is that the railway Labor Act has few restrictions on the tactics used when unions go on strike. They do not ban secondary boycotts against other RLA-regulated carriers and they can engage in other types of strikes that could be unprotected under the National Labor Relations

During this time, the parties have to maintain the status quo, which is a second cooling-off period of thirty days. After the reports are submitted, there is a third cooling-off period of thirty days that is required. If no agreement has been reached at this time, each side can act as they please (strikes, lockouts, etc.). Usually Congress has their own settlement that they impose, which is constitutional under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution’s commerce clause. This is a lengthy process, which isn’t something that the parties look forward