Railway Labor Act Pros And Cons

The last and most important aspect of the Railway Labor Act is the right to resolve disputes. For example, a dispute may arise out of pay changes, in which it is the requirement of parties to give 30 days of desired change in pay embodied in agreements. A Section 6 Notice must be given, and while conferences are being held, or while a dispute is in the hands of the National Mediation Board, rates of pay shall not be altered by any carrier until the controversy has been finally acted upon. Specifically, under the Railway Labor Act, there are two types of contractual disputes. One dispute may involve changes in existing agreements or implied agreements are called “major” disputes, and those that involve interpretation or application of existing

On June 20th, 1966, Congress enacted the Public Law 89-456 under Section 3. Cases that can be submitted to the Public Law Board in resolving disputes include disputes that are referable to the National Railroad Adjustment Board. These disputes must have been handled in the usual manner on property and including the highest office of the carrier designated to handle disputes. Also can be submitted are disputes that have been pending before the National Railroad Adjustment Board of at least 12 months. Cases that cannot be submitted to the Public Law Board includes such claims and grievances arising under laws or agreements that contain specific provisions for the disposition of such claims and must be handled in accordance therewith. This must be observed carefully when preparing cases for the Public Law Board. Another type of dispute that cannot be submitted includes disputes growing out of request for changes in pay, rules, or working conditions. Proper notice is also important in the problem or resolving disputes from railroads or airlines. The notice given should be timely filed with the grievance procedure and clearly state its purpose and authority, should designate the employee member of the proposed board, and a list of cases to be handled by the board. In the handling of disputes under grievance procedure, Public Law Boards do not have to be established by mutual agreement between the carrier and organization without the serving of notice by either party. If within 30 days of serving of the notice for a proposed board, an agreement, along with cases to be heard is not reached, the carrier refused to enter a suitable agreement, as required by Public Law, the International office should then be notified and a request made for the National Mediation Board to choose a carrier member. When the board has been finalized in solving the dispute, three copies of the