What is the Railway Labor Act?
All union issues for the airline industry are handled under the Railway Labor Act (RLA). The purpose of the law is to prevent interruption of commerce. This law makes it much more difficult than for other industry’s unions to strike or engage in labor action(s). In terms of contract negotiation, it creates a sequential process for arriving at a collective bargaining agreement. Unlike employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), RLA employees cannot use self-help (strike) until the National Mediation Board (NMB) set up under this act has released them to do so.
