What is the process for national rail labor negotiations?
The 1926 Railway Labor Act (RLA) governs collective bargaining between railroads and rail labor organizations. The RLA was designed to avoid disruptions to rail transportation due to labor disputes. Under the act, bargaining agreements remain in force indefinitely until the parties agree to change them. Without a fixed deadline, negotiators work through a step-by-step process, including compulsory mediation, designed to encourage negotiated settlements. Neither side can engage in “self help” – a labor strike or unilateral imposition of management terms – until these steps have been exhausted. Parties exchange bargaining proposals through the service of a “Section 6 Notice,” so named for the section of the RLA in which it is defined. Most railroads bargain on a multi-employer basis through the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), the bargaining arm of the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC).
