The Railway Labor Act (RLA) is the federal law that governs how railroad labor unions like BMWED organize new members, bargain collectively for improvements to our wages and working conditions, and how we can resolve disputes regarding violations of our rights under our collective bargaining agreements.

While many of our members recognize the RLA's impact on how we can negotiate amendments to our contracts, this law also governs how rail workers seeking to form or join a union can hold elections to do so, as well as how our claims or grievances are arbitrated if they cannot be resolved between our union and the railroad.

Rail workers and airline workers are both governed under the RLA. The National Mediation Board (NMB) is the federal agency responsible for administering the provisions of the RLA.

The RLA gives our members the legal right to work together in negotiating our wages, hours of service, and those rights and working conditions we experience in our daily work on the right of way. Every member should know and understand what the RLA does, why it matters, and how it affects the way we work together as a union.

The actual language of the Railway Labor Act

FRA's Overview of the Railway Labor Act

Flowchart - The RLA Bargaining Process

Key Terms & Concepts in BMWED Bargaining (bmwe.org/bargainingterms)

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