Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
Since there are a lot of newer folks here, it's important to point out this latest version of pure idiocy and complete falsehood that is sailingfun.
Nothing in the Railway Labor Act (RLA) or in the charter of the National Mediation Board (NMB) requires concessions to be made. Sailingfun and certain other DALPA operatives who post these pure falsehoods do this frequently around contract time, but it's simply not true. The NMB (under the rules of the RLA) simply require that "negotiations in good faith" take place. Not concessions, just compromise.
Carl
I just went to the source, the NMB website. Good info there. It doesn't mention concessions or compromise, but I have heard that the NMB uses the term "zone of reasonableness." But then that's not defined either. FYI for those who care, this from their website:
NMB Overview | The National Mediation Board
The National Mediation Board (NMB), established by the 1934 amendments to the Railway Labor Act of 1926, is an independent U.S. Federal-government agency that facilitates labor-management relations within the nation’s railroad and airline industries. Pursuant to the Railway Labor Act, NMB programs provide dispute-resolution processes to effectively meet its statutory objectives: avoiding interruption to commerce or to the operation of any carrier; forbidding any limitation upon freedom of association among employees; providing for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes concerning rates of pay, rules, or working conditions; and providing for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes growing out of grievances related to the implementation and management of collective bargaining agreements.