WE ARE READY TO FIGHT FOR YOU!

Amazing firm with a great legal team! I know one of the case managers personally and Nisa will make sure you have a great experience!

ELIZABETH W. HOUSTON, TX
Rating
COO0

Jonathan Harris and his team are the best! They are extremely professional, hardworking and got incredible results... Highly recommend!

ELLEN N. PASADENA, TX
Rating
April 6th, 2009

Court Grants Arbitration Case: Railroad Industry

Supreme Court Resolving Labor Disputes

The Supreme Court has agreed to clarify the scope of federal courts’ authority to second-guess arbitration decisions made to resolve labor disputes in the railroad and airline industries.

In 2002 and 2003, Union Pacific Railroad Co. charged five employees with disciplinary violations after a formal investigation and hearing. The employees filed claims through their union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, contesting the charges.

But the National Railroad Adjustment Board held that the union had failed to submit conclusive evidence that the parties held a conference to attempt to resolve the dispute — a procedural prerequisite to arbitration — and thus the board determined that it was required to dismiss the claim for lack of jurisdiction. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois affirmed the decision.

In April 2008, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reversed, holding that the board denied the union due process by requiring evidence of conferencing to be presented in the on-property record, a requirement not clearly enunciated in the statutes, regulations or the collective bargaining agreement of the parties.

The board appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, noting: “This case presents the court with an opportunity to resolve a pure question of law that has divided the circuits for nearly three decades but has never been squarely presented: whether courts are authorized to set aside Board awards based upon alleged violations of due process that do not fall within the express statutory grounds for relief.”

On Feb. 23, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review in the case. The justices will hear oral arguments in the fall.

Question presented: Whether the Railway Labor Act authorizes courts to set aside final arbitration awards for alleged violations of due process by the National Railroad Adjustment Board, and if the Board can adopt a new, retroactive interpretation of the standards governing its arbitration proceedings.

Update 9/18: The Supreme Court ruling states that the National Railroad Adjustment Board should not have dismissed an arbitration dispute between the union and the railroad company for lack of authority when the union failed to show proof of the pre-arbitration conferences. Even though the Supreme Court ruled that the Board should not have dismissed the debate, the decision rested on statutory grounds, deciding that the requirement of pre-arbitrational conferences in disputes before the Board was a “claim-processing rule” and “not jurisdictional.” Therefore, the Board had to exercise their authority over the dispute.

Related Articles

SMS Legal

SMS Legal N/a
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3479.1060532342935!2d-94.7901564!3d29.308564599999997!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x863f9f904cb30ac7%3A0x1c9ebd41b2fc1da2!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20-%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Attorneys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1702329017011!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3452.471544376824!2d-95.4389632!3d30.080678799999998!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x864734e2d8da16c7%3A0x2342415d631dbde8!2s21755%20I-45%2C%20Spring%2C%20TX%2077388%2C%20USA!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1708979967309!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d1418.3616428162372!2d-95.09505228290935!3d29.507579590395085!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x86409d2cbf1686d1%3A0xbc4d58ebfda069c0!2s22%20E%20Main%20St%20b5%2C%20League%20City%2C%20TX%2077573%2C%20USA!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1715781794461!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3452.2753200880793!2d-94.10885322465344!3d30.086300374902578!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x863ecad6df4d3233%3A0x4adc27922cc3ab30!2s1110%20Calder%20Ave%2C%20Beaumont%2C%20TX%2077701%2C%20USA!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1715782641609!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d6765.016450090184!2d-102.1431717!3d32.0284324!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x86fbd947ad6aa8ed%3A0xb0efbdc8a3a622f4!2s4400%20Midland%20Dr%20Suite%232500%2C%20Midland%2C%20TX%2079705!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1726506860027!5m2!1sen!2sus
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3456.40167578146!2d-95.70068502441812!3d29.96788427496218!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8640d5b7f4700001%3A0xe53f55aafc59250d!2s17844%20Mound%20Rd%20Ste%20B%2C%20Cypress%2C%20TX%2077433!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1729261376123!5m2!1sen!2sus
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3463.5461664291797!2d-94.96889949999999!3d29.761845000000005!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x863f5dfb4329372d%3A0x6073e0dcf230a0d!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20%E2%80%93%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Attorneys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1702329126386!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3470.3421325561294!2d-95.5611674!3d29.564647100000006!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8640ef27e7010945%3A0x1aee24dcf94aab37!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20-%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Attorneys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sco!4v1702329296497!5m2!1sen!2sco
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3455.3830880186756!2d-95.2464742!3d29.9971546!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8640b3384cda1cbd%3A0x4d9a388e99dc62d5!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20-%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Attorneys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1661408657013!5m2!1sen!2sin
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3463.247065658955!2d-95.7738377!3d29.7704967!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0x7b0dc0986b0955d!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20L.L.P.!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1661408448170!5m2!1sen!2sin
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3466.976086065016!2d-95.1871226!3d29.6624683!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x864099608b803d7b%3A0x3ffbff7fa344b2a8!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20--%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Lawyers!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1661408320152!5m2!1sen!2sin
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3464.226578052752!2d-95.3784021!3d29.742155099999994!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8640bf6e9bf17b71%3A0xde627d8ef64f95e7!2sSchechter%2C%20Shaffer%20%26%20Harris%2C%20LLP%20-%20Accident%20%26%20Injury%20Attorneys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1661408171860!5m2!1sen!2sin
Address
1908 Strand
#2

Galveston, TX 77550
Phone
(409) 377-6970
Map & Directions
Address
21755 N I-45 Fwy,

Spring, TX 77388
Phone
(346) 472-3972
Map & Directions
Address
22 E Main St #B5,

League City, TX 77573
Phone
(346)-810-6640
Map & Directions
Address
1110 Calder Ave #132,

Beaumont, TX 77701
Phone
409-405-5125
Map & Directions
Address
4400 N. Midland Drive
Suite 2500

Midland, TX 79707
Phone
(432) 286-3842
Map & Directions
Address
17844 Mound Road
Suite B

Cypress, TX 77433
Phone
(346) 537-2934
Map & Directions
Address
608 Rollingbrook Dr,
Suite C,

Baytown, TX 77521
Phone
(832) 572-3532
Map & Directions
Address
3634 Glenn Lakes Ln,

Missouri City, TX 77459
Phone
(346) 239-7259
Map & Directions
Address
1931 Humble Place Dr
#201

Humble, TX 77338
Phone
(281) 801-4654
Map & Directions
Address
23227 Red River Dr
#2a

Katy, TX 77494
Phone
(346) 500-6160
Map & Directions
Address
3222 Burke
Rd #211

Pasadena, TX 77504
Phone
(832) 345-1327
Map & Directions
Address
3200 Travis
#300

Houston, TX 77006
Phone
(713) 364-0723
Map & Directions