Labor Union Laws
The Railway Labor Act (RLA) of 1926 originally applied to railroads and in 1936 was amended to
cover airlines. The act received support from both management and unions. The goal of the act is to
ensure no disruption of interstate commerce. The main provisions of the act include alternate dispute
resolution, arbitration, and mediation to resolve labor disputes. Any dispute must be resolved in this
manner before a strike can happen. The RLA is administered by the National Mediation Board (NMB), a
federal agency, and outlines very specific and detailed processes for dispute resolution in these industries.
The Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 (also known as the anti-injunction bill) barred federal courts from
issuing injunctions (a court order that requires a party to do something or refrain from doing something)
against nonviolent labor disputes and barred employers from interfering with workers joining a union.
The act was a result of common yellow-dog contracts, in which a worker agreed not to join a union
before accepting a job. The Norris-LaGuardia Act made yellow-dog contracts unenforceable in courts and
established that employees were free to join unions without employer interference.
