I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5886 
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 
NOVEMBER 4, 2021 
Mrs. STEEL (for herself and Mr. GROTHMAN) 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguarding the Sup-
ply Chain Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF RAILWAY LABOR ACT TO MARI-
TIME EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE 
MARITIME INDUSTRY. 
The Railway Labor Act is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘TITLE III—COVERAGE OF MARI-
TIME EMPLOYEES AND EM-
PLOYEES IN THE MARITIME 
INDUSTRY 
‘‘SEC. 301. COVERAGE OF MARITIME EMPLOYERS AND EM-
PLOYEES. 
‘‘All of the provisions of title I of this Act, except 
the provisions of section 3 thereof, are extended to and 
shall cover every maritime employer and every employee 
of a maritime employer, subject to its continuing authority 
to supervise and direct the manner of rendition of the em-
ployee’s service. 
‘‘SEC. 302. APPLICATION OF PROVISIONS. 
‘‘The duties, requirements, penalties, benefits, and 
privileges prescribed and established by the provisions of 
title I of this Act, except the provisions of section 3 there-
of, shall apply to maritime employers and their employees 
in the same manner and to the same extent as though 
such maritime employers and their employees were specifi-
cally included within the definition of ‘carrier’ and ‘em-
ployee’, respectively, in section 1 thereof. 
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‘‘SEC. 303. NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The parties or either party to 
a dispute between an employee or a group of such employ-
ees and a maritime employer or employers may invoke the 
services of the National Mediation Board and the jurisdic-
tion of the National Mediation Board is extended to any 
of the following cases: 
‘‘(1) A dispute concerning changes in rates of 
pay, rules, or working conditions not adjusted by the 
parties in conference. 
‘‘(2) Any other dispute not referable to an ad-
justment board, as described in section 304(b), and 
not adjusted in conference between the parties, or 
where conferences are refused. 
‘‘(b) LABOR EMERGENCIES.—The National Medi-
ation Board may proffer its services in case any labor 
emergency is found by it to exist at any time. 
‘‘(c) INVOCATION IN DISPUTES.—The services of the 
National Mediation Board may be invoked in a case under 
this title in the same manner and to the same extent as 
are the disputes covered by section 5 of title I of this Act. 
‘‘SEC. 304. BOARDS OF ADJUSTMENT. 
‘‘(a) TREATMENT OF PENDING DISPUTES.—The dis-
putes between an employee or a group of employees and 
a maritime employer or employers growing out of griev-
ances, or out of the interpretation or application of agree-
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ments concerning rates of pay, rules, or working condi-
tions, including cases pending and unadjusted on the date 
of enactment of this title before the National Labor Rela-
tions Board, shall be handled in the usual manner up to 
and including the chief operating officer of the maritime 
employer designated to handle such disputes; but, failing 
to reach an adjustment in this manner, the disputes may 
be referred by petition of the parties or by either party 
to an appropriate adjustment board, as described in sub-
section (b), with a full statement of the facts and sup-
porting data bearing upon the disputes. 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIAL BOARDS OF AD-
JUSTMENT.—It shall be the duty of every maritime em-
ployer and its employees, acting through their representa-
tives, selected in accordance with the provisions of this 
title, to establish a board of adjustment of jurisdiction not 
exceeding the jurisdiction which may be lawfully exercised 
by system, group, or regional boards of adjustment, under 
the authority of section 3. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH A TEMPORARY NA-
TIONAL BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT.—Such boards of adjust-
ment may be established by agreement between employees 
and maritime employers either on any individual maritime 
employer, or system, or group of maritime employers and 
any class or classes of its or their employees; or pending 
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the establishment of a permanent National Board of Ad-
justment in accordance with this title. Nothing in this Act 
shall prevent such maritime employers, or any class or 
classes of their employees, both acting through their rep-
resentatives selected in accordance with provisions of this 
title, from mutually agreeing to the establishment of a na-
tional board of adjustment of temporary duration and of 
similarly limited jurisdiction. 
‘‘SEC. 305. NATIONAL MARITIME ADJUSTMENT BOARD. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—When, in the judgment of 
the National Mediation Board, it shall be necessary to 
have a permanent National Board of Adjustment in order 
to provide for the prompt and orderly settlement of dis-
putes between maritime employers and their employees, 
growing out of grievances or out of the interpretation or 
application of agreements between maritime employers 
and any class or classes of employees, covering rates of 
pay, rules, or working conditions, the National Mediation 
Board is hereby empowered and directed, by its order duly 
made, published, and served, to direct such maritime em-
ployers and such labor organizations of their employees, 
national in scope, as have been or may be recognized in 
accordance with the provisions of this Act, to select and 
designate four representatives who shall constitute a board 
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which shall be known as the ‘National Maritime Adjust-
ment Board’. 
‘‘(b) SELECTION OF MEMBERS.—Two members of 
the National Maritime Adjustment Board shall be selected 
by maritime employers and two members by the labor or-
ganizations of the employees, within thirty days after the 
date of the order of the National Mediation Board, in the 
manner and by the procedure prescribed by title I of this 
Act for the selection and designation of members of the 
National Railroad Adjustment Board. 
‘‘(c) MEETINGS AND RULES FOR PROCEEDINGS.— 
The National Maritime Adjustment Board shall meet 
within forty days after the date of the order of the Na-
tional Mediation Board directing the selection and des-
ignation of its members and shall organize and adopt rules 
for conducting its proceedings, in the manner prescribed 
in section 3. 
‘‘(d) VACANCIES; COMPENSATION; HEARINGS.—Va-
cancies in membership or office shall be filled, members 
shall be appointed in case of failure of the maritime em-
ployers or of labor organizations of the employees to select 
and designate representatives, members of the National 
Maritime Adjustment Board shall be compensated, hear-
ings shall be held, findings and awards made, stated, 
served, and enforced, and the number and compensation 
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of any necessary assistants shall be determined and the 
compensation of such employees shall be paid, all in the 
same manner and to the same extent as provided with ref-
erence to the National Railroad Adjustment Board by sec-
tion 3. 
‘‘(e) POWERS AND DUTIES.—The powers and duties 
prescribed and established by the provisions of section 3 
with reference to the National Railroad Adjustment Board 
and the several divisions thereof are hereby conferred upon 
and shall be exercised and performed in like manner and 
to the same extent by the National Maritime Adjustment 
Board, not exceeding, however, the jurisdiction conferred 
upon the National Maritime Adjustment Board by the 
provisions of this title. 
‘‘(f) TRANSFERS OF JURISDICTION.—From and after 
the organization of the National Maritime Adjustment 
Board, if any system, group, or regional board of adjust-
ment established by any maritime employer or employers 
and any class or classes of its or their employees is not 
satisfactory to either party thereto, such party, upon nine-
ty days’ notice to the other party, may elect to come under 
the jurisdiction of the National Maritime Adjustment 
Board. 
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‘‘SEC. 306. CASES PENDING IN THE NATIONAL LABOR RELA-
TIONS BOARD. 
‘‘All cases referred to the National Labor Relations 
Board, or over which the National Labor Relations Board 
shall have taken jurisdiction, involving any dispute arising 
from any cause between any maritime employer engaged 
in interstate or foreign commerce and employees of such 
maritime employer or employers, and unsettled on the 
date of enactment of this title, shall be handled to conclu-
sion by the National Mediation Board. The books, records, 
and papers of the National Labor Relations Board perti-
nent to such case or cases, whether settled or unsettled, 
shall be transferred to the custody of the National Medi-
ation Board. 
‘‘SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There is hereby authorized to be appropriated such 
sums as may be necessary for expenditure by the Medi-
ation Board in carrying out the provisions of this Act. 
‘‘SEC. 308. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘maritime employer’ has the 
meaning given the term ‘employer’ in section 2(4) of 
the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation 
Act. 
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‘‘(2) The term ‘employee’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 2(3) of such Act.’’. 
Æ 
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