The RLA is designed to prevent interruptions in service. Those in power have decided that the railway system and airlines serve such a vital role in the nation's transportation system - upon which so many businesses rely - that a strike is to be pushed off as long as possible by delaying through mediation, mandatory cooling periods, etc. That is its purpose.

If you back away from the "pilot think" and look at it from the government's viewpoint, the motive for the act is sound. It is sort of the same reason that railroad companies are prevented from filing for liquidation bankruptcy. We can't really afford for them to go out of business. Someone has to haul the #$!@ around.

Accordingly, the RLA (or some amended variant) isn't going anywhere.