The National Mediation Board mediates contract disputes, conducts union representation elections, and arranges arbitration for workers and employers in the railroad and airline industries under the Railway Labor Act. Its goal is to keep these critical transportation networks running by helping the two sides reach agreements and avoid strikes or service disruptions.
Created by Congress under the Railway Labor Act (as amended in 1934 to create the National Mediation Board) (45 U.S.C. Sec. 154; Act of June 21, 1934, ch. 691, Sec. 4, 48 Stat. 1185, 1193 (amending the Railway Labor Act of 1926, ch. 347, 44 Stat. 577)), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.
