I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9911 

To amend the Railway Labor Act to apply the provisions of such Act to 

maritime employers and employees in the maritime industry, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 1, 2024 

Mrs. STEEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend the Railway Labor Act to apply the provisions 

of such Act to maritime employers and employees in 

the maritime industry, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding the Sup5 ply Chain Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF RAILWAY LABOR ACT TO MARI2 TIME EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE 

3 MARITIME INDUSTRY. 

4 The Railway Labor Act is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘TITLE III—COVERAGE OF MARI7 TIME EMPLOYEES AND EM8 PLOYEES IN THE MARITIME 

9 INDUSTRY 

10 ‘‘SEC. 301. COVERAGE OF MARITIME EMPLOYERS AND EM11 PLOYEES. 

12 ‘‘All of the provisions of title I of this Act, except 

13 the provisions of section 3 thereof, are extended to and 

14 shall cover every maritime employer and every employee 

15 of a maritime employer, subject to its continuing authority 

16 to supervise and direct the manner of rendition of the em17 ployee’s service. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 302. APPLICATION OF PROVISIONS. 

19 ‘‘The duties, requirements, penalties, benefits, and 

20 privileges prescribed and established by the provisions of 

21 title I of this Act, except the provisions of section 3 there22 of, shall apply to maritime employers and their employees 

23 in the same manner and to the same extent as though 

24 such maritime employers and their employees were specifi25 cally included within the definition of ‘carrier’ and ‘em26 ployee’, respectively, in section 1 thereof. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 303. NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The parties or either party to 

3 a dispute between an employee or a group of such employ4 ees and a maritime employer or employers may invoke the 

5 services of the National Mediation Board and the jurisdic6 tion of the National Mediation Board is extended to any 

7 of the following cases: 

8 ‘‘(1) A dispute concerning changes in rates of 

9 pay, rules, or working conditions not adjusted by the 

10 parties in conference. 

11 ‘‘(2) Any other dispute not referable to an ad12 justment board, as described in section 304(b), and 

13 not adjusted in conference between the parties, or 

14 where conferences are refused. 

15 ‘‘(b) LABOR EMERGENCIES.—The National Medi16 ation Board may proffer its services in case any labor 

17 emergency is found by it to exist at any time. 

18 ‘‘(c) INVOCATION IN DISPUTES.—The services of the 

19 National Mediation Board may be invoked in a case under 

20 this title in the same manner and to the same extent as 

21 are the disputes covered by section 5 of title I of this Act. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 304. BOARDS OF ADJUSTMENT. 

23 ‘‘(a) TREATMENT OF PENDING DISPUTES.—The dis24 putes between an employee or a group of employees and 

25 a maritime employer or employers growing out of griev26 ances, or out of the interpretation or application of agreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:42 Oct 22, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9911.IH H9911

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1 ments concerning rates of pay, rules, or working condi2 tions, including cases pending and unadjusted on the date 

3 of enactment of this title before the National Labor Rela4 tions Board, shall be handled in the usual manner up to 

5 and including the chief operating officer of the maritime 

6 employer designated to handle such disputes; but, failing 

7 to reach an adjustment in this manner, the disputes may 

8 be referred by petition of the parties or by either party 

9 to an appropriate adjustment board, as described in sub10 section (b), with a full statement of the facts and sup11 porting data bearing upon the disputes. 

12 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL BOARDS OF AD13 JUSTMENT.—It shall be the duty of every maritime em14 ployer and its employees, acting through their representa15 tives, selected in accordance with the provisions of this 

16 title, to establish a board of adjustment of jurisdiction not 

17 exceeding the jurisdiction which may be lawfully exercised 

18 by system, group, or regional boards of adjustment, under 

19 the authority of section 3. 

20 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH A TEMPORARY NA21 TIONAL BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.—Such boards of adjust22 ment may be established by agreement between employees 

23 and maritime employers either on any individual maritime 

24 employer, or system, or group of maritime employers and 

25 any class or classes of its or their employees; or pending 


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1 the establishment of a permanent National Board of Ad2 justment in accordance with this title. Nothing in this Act 

3 shall prevent such maritime employers, or any class or 

4 classes of their employees, both acting through their rep5 resentatives selected in accordance with provisions of this 

6 title, from mutually agreeing to the establishment of a na7 tional board of adjustment of temporary duration and of 

8 similarly limited jurisdiction. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 305. NATIONAL MARITIME ADJUSTMENT BOARD. 

10 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—When, in the judgment of 

11 the National Mediation Board, it shall be necessary to 

12 have a permanent National Board of Adjustment in order 

13 to provide for the prompt and orderly settlement of dis14 putes between maritime employers and their employees, 

15 growing out of grievances or out of the interpretation or 

16 application of agreements between maritime employers 

17 and any class or classes of employees, covering rates of 

18 pay, rules, or working conditions, the National Mediation 

19 Board is hereby empowered and directed, by its order duly 

20 made, published, and served, to direct such maritime em21 ployers and such labor organizations of their employees, 

22 national in scope, as have been or may be recognized in 

23 accordance with the provisions of this Act, to select and 

24 designate four representatives who shall constitute a board 


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1 which shall be known as the ‘National Maritime Adjust2 ment Board’. 

3 ‘‘(b) SELECTION OF MEMBERS.—Two members of 

4 the National Maritime Adjustment Board shall be selected 

5 by maritime employers and two members by the labor or6 ganizations of the employees, within thirty days after the 

7 date of the order of the National Mediation Board, in the 

8 manner and by the procedure prescribed by title I of this 

9 Act for the selection and designation of members of the 

10 National Railroad Adjustment Board. 

11 ‘‘(c) MEETINGS AND RULES FOR PROCEEDINGS.— 

12 The National Maritime Adjustment Board shall meet 

13 within forty days after the date of the order of the Na14 tional Mediation Board directing the selection and des15 ignation of its members and shall organize and adopt rules 

16 for conducting its proceedings, in the manner prescribed 

17 in section 3. 

18 ‘‘(d) VACANCIES; COMPENSATION; HEARINGS.—Va19 cancies in membership or office shall be filled, members 

20 shall be appointed in case of failure of the maritime em21 ployers or of labor organizations of the employees to select 

22 and designate representatives, members of the National 

23 Maritime Adjustment Board shall be compensated, hear24 ings shall be held, findings and awards made, stated, 

25 served, and enforced, and the number and compensation 


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1 of any necessary assistants shall be determined and the 

2 compensation of such employees shall be paid, all in the 

3 same manner and to the same extent as provided with ref4 erence to the National Railroad Adjustment Board by sec5 tion 3. 

6 ‘‘(e) POWERS AND DUTIES.—The powers and duties 

7 prescribed and established by the provisions of section 3 

8 with reference to the National Railroad Adjustment Board 

9 and the several divisions thereof are hereby conferred upon 

10 and shall be exercised and performed in like manner and 

11 to the same extent by the National Maritime Adjustment 

12 Board, not exceeding, however, the jurisdiction conferred 

13 upon the National Maritime Adjustment Board by the 

14 provisions of this title. 

15 ‘‘(f) TRANSFERS OF JURISDICTION.—From and after 

16 the organization of the National Maritime Adjustment 

17 Board, if any system, group, or regional board of adjust18 ment established by any maritime employer or employers 

19 and any class or classes of its or their employees is not 

20 satisfactory to either party thereto, such party, upon nine21 ty days’ notice to the other party, may elect to come under 

22 the jurisdiction of the National Maritime Adjustment 

23 Board. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 306. CASES PENDING IN THE NATIONAL LABOR RELA2 TIONS BOARD. 

3 ‘‘All cases referred to the National Labor Relations 

4 Board, or over which the National Labor Relations Board 

5 shall have taken jurisdiction, involving any dispute arising 

6 from any cause between any maritime employer engaged 

7 in interstate or foreign commerce and employees of such 

8 maritime employer or employers, and unsettled on the 

9 date of enactment of this title, shall be handled to conclu10 sion by the National Mediation Board. The books, records, 

11 and papers of the National Labor Relations Board perti12 nent to such case or cases, whether settled or unsettled, 

13 shall be transferred to the custody of the National Medi14 ation Board. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 ‘‘There is hereby authorized to be appropriated such 

17 sums as may be necessary for expenditure by the Medi18 ation Board in carrying out the provisions of this Act. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 308. DEFINITIONS. 

20 ‘‘In this title: 

21 ‘‘(1) The term ‘maritime employer’ has the 

22 meaning given the term ‘employer’ in section 2(4) of 

23 the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation 

24 Act. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The term ‘employee’ has the meaning 

2 given such term in section 2(3) of such Act.’’. 

Æ 


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