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Union-Management Relations

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Railway Labor Act

In addition to the National Labor Relations Act, several Thompson Coburn labor lawyers focus their practice on matters under the Railway Labor Act. In fact, our Railway Labor Act clients include two of America’s five Class I railroads, a major U.S. regional airline, as well as the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, the bargaining agent of the nation’s largest railroad.

Over the last several years, we have succeeded in preventing unions from striking and from obtaining injunctions prohibiting railroad actions in federal courts in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. We were also lead counsel in the first Railway Labor Act arbitration to ever lead to an award of damages against a union, a result that we were able to uphold in court. Our attorneys also appear before the Surface Transportation Board and in the D.C. Circuit regarding labor protection issues in the railroad industry. For instance, in one case, we successfully persuaded the D.C. Circuit to overturn an arbitration award that had provided tens of millions of dollars in damages to employees displaced when a railroad decided to outsource its information technology function.
Partners
Anderson, Anthony A.
Godiner, Clifford A.
Needham, Amie E.
Poplstein, Charles M.
Sarsfield, Timothy J.
Starke, Jane Sutter
Woodman, G. Kent
Associates
Bruning, Lauren M.
  • American Water Company
  • Baldor Electric Company
  • Bunge North America
  • Bunzl USA
  • City of St. Charles, Missouri
  • Monsanto
  • Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
  • Sigma Aldrich Corporation
  • The Kansas City Southern Railway
  • Trans States Holdings, Inc.
  • Union Pacific Railroad
Collective Bargaining/Grievance Handling/Strike Injunctions

Negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements for a major paper distribution company throughout the United States and Canada.
Successfully defended discharge arbitrations for this paper distribution company in Pennsylvania and Nevada, as well as a Southern Illinois steel company.
Won contract interpretation arbitration cases for a variety of clients on issues such as work assignments and vacation policies.
Successfully defended lawsuits alleging bad faith actions by a major railroad involving its maintenance of way workers in Spring 2007 and 2008.
Overturned an adverse arbitration award issued against a railroad involving severance pay for employees who were hired by the company to whom their work had been outsourced.