The Railway Labor Act, the law governing collective bargaining in the railroad industry, turns 100 years old this month. It was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on May 20, 1926, after approval in the House and Senate by a combined vote of 531-26.
The Railway Labor Act is the country’s first federal law guaranteeing the right of workers to organize and join unions, and was developed after decades of labor unrest, including often violent work stoppages where federal soldiers were pitted against striking railroad workers.
“The most significant fact about the Railway Labor Act is that the majority of railway executives have decided to quit fighting the labor unions and recognize them as a vital part of the industry,” according to an editorial published in the June 1926 issue of the Locomotive Engineers Journal. “In other words, the railroad unions have won their century-old struggle for the right to exist and protect their members’ welfare as workers.”
Today, the Railway Labor Act continues to govern labor-management relations in the railroad industry. It has been amended several times over the years, including in 1936 to extend coverage to the airline industry.