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Railway Labor Act (RLA)
Practical Law Glossary Item 7-516-8509 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Railway Labor Act (RLA)
A federal law enacted by Congress to regulate labor relations for private sector rail and air carriers and certain enterprises owned or under the control of those carriers (45 U.S.C. §§ 151-164 and 45 U.S.C. §§ 181-188).
The central purpose of the RLA is to maintain the flow of rail and air commerce without work stoppages. To serve this purpose, Congress incorporated mechanisms into the RLA to:
- Allow employees to freely associate and join unions as they choose.
- Ensure the prompt resolution of disputes concerning:
- rates of pay, work rules and working conditions;
- workplace grievances; or
- the interpretation of labor-management agreements about rates of pay, work rules or working conditions.
In addition, the RLA:
- Authorizes the National Mediation Board to:
- investigate who is the appropriate representative of a covered employer's employees; and
- mediate collective bargaining disputes involving parties covered by the RLA, also known as minor disputes.
- Creates rights and obligations for covered employers, employees and unions that can be enforced through federal court litigation.
For more information, see Practice Note, Railway Labor Act: Overview.