Communications 

Understanding the Railway Labor Act

Last week, APA officially delivered its Section 6 Opener to American Airlines, the first formal step toward negotiating our next collective bargaining agreement. As bargaining begins, it’s vital to understand the law that governs airline contract negotiations: the Railway Labor Act (RLA).

Whether you’ve been flying at American for six months or three decades, the RLA affects every pilot. It determines how negotiations progress, what options are available to both APA and management, and why the process is often deliberate rather than quick.

Enacted in 1926 for the railroad industry and expanded to airlines in 1936, the RLA was designed to prevent disruptions to the nation’s transportation system while encouraging negotiated agreements. Unlike many private-sector labor laws, contracts governed by the RLA do not expire. Once a collective bargaining agreement becomes amendable, the terms of the contract remain in effect until a new agreement is reached or the parties are released to self-help.

The negotiation process follows a defined path:

  • Direct negotiations between APA and American Airlines.
  • If necessary, mediation through the National Mediation Board (NMB).
  • If mediation reaches an impasse, the NMB may release the parties into a 30-day cooling-off period.
  • Only after completing that process may either side exercise self-help – a strike by labor or a lockout or unilateral implementation by management. Even then, Congress or the U.S. President may intervene if the dispute threatens interstate commerce.

RLAvideo 

The process is intentionally structured to encourage negotiated solutions rather than immediate conflict. Neither APA nor the company can simply walk away from the bargaining table, and neither side can take immediate economic action simply because negotiations become difficult.

While the RLA can favor management in certain ways, it also provides important protections. It requires both parties to negotiate within a defined framework, prevents unilateral changes to the contract, and establishes a path to self-help after all avenues to find agreement have been spent.

As we begin this new round of Section 6 negotiations, understanding the Railway Labor Act helps explain not only how the process works, but why staying informed, engaged, and united will be essential throughout the months and years ahead.

Economic conditions will likely change, leadership will turnover, priorities will evolve, your patience can wane. Throughout this process, one constant remains: An informed, engaged, and unified pilot group is APA’s greatest strength at the bargaining table.

Raise the Standard.