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), established in 1926 for railroads and expanded to airlines in 1936, governs labor relations for both industries, aiming to prevent interruptions to interstate commerce and ensure employees' right to collective bargaining.
Administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB), the RLA outlines a highly structured and extensive multi-step process for resolving labor disputes between carriers and unions.
This dispute resolution process, detailed in Section 6, involves mandatory negotiations, mediation, potentially a Presidential Emergency Board, and cooling-off periods, making it a lengthy and complex pathway before a legal strike or lockout can occur.

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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.