How a 1926 Law Affects U.S. Airline Workers Today

As labor disputes heat up in the U.S. ahead of a busy holiday season, it is important to understand the key piece of legislation that governs them.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, November 27, 2023 at 02:22 PM ET

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An American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner on approach to Los Angeles. [Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

The Railway Labor Act (RLA), enacted in 1926 and expanded to airlines in 1936, is a federal law that heavily regulates labor relations for both railroads and airlines, aiming to promote collective bargaining and prevent disruptions to interstate commerce.
Administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB), the RLA mandates a stringent, multi-stage dispute resolution process that labor and management must follow before a strike or lockout can legally occur.
This comprehensive process, outlined in Section 6 of the RLA, typically involves good-faith negotiations, mandatory mediation, potential Presidential Emergency Boards, and cooling-off periods, with "self-help" measures like strikes or lockouts permissible only as a last resort after all prescribed steps are exhausted.

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Considered to be one of the most heavily regulated industries, aviation – and specifically airlines – are subject to a wide variety of both international and domestic legislation and regulations. As commercial aviation took off in the U.S., so did the checks and balances surrounding it, particularly on safety and competition rules.

Often buried among the plethora of aviation laws and regulations are those having to do with labor, specifically the Railway Labor Act (RLA). Arcane to many, the RLA has broad jurisdiction over railroad companies, but also airlines, along with their respective labor unions.