Opinion ID: 1266339
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Duty of Fair Representation Under the RLA

Text: The statutory duty of fair representation was developed [in the 1940s] in a series of cases involving alleged racial discrimination by unions certified as exclusive bargaining representatives under the Railway Labor Act. Vaca v. Sipes, 386 U.S. 171, 177, 87 S.Ct. 903, 17 L.Ed.2d 842 (1967). In these cases, the Supreme Court ruled that the exclusive agent's statutory authority to represent all members of a designated unit includes a statutory obligation to serve the interests of all members without hostility or discrimination toward any, to exercise its discretion with complete good faith and honesty, and to avoid arbitrary conduct. Id. ; see Ramey v. Dist. 141, Int'l Ass'n of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, 378 F.3d 269, 276-77 (2d Cir.2004). This tripartite standard applies to `challenges leveled not only at a union's contract administration and enforcement efforts but at its negotiation activities as well,' i.e., to both major and minor disputes under the RLA. Air Line Pilots Ass'n, Int'l v. O'Neill, 499 U.S. 65, 77, 111 S.Ct. 1127, 113 L.Ed.2d 51 (1991) (quoting Communications Workers v. Beck, 487 U.S. 735, 743, 108 S.Ct. 2641, 101 L.Ed.2d 634 (1988)). [9] The Supreme Court has emphasized that a court's substantive examination of a union's performance [is] highly deferential, recognizing the wide latitude that negotiators need for the effective performance of their bargaining responsibilities. Air Line Pilots Ass'n, Int'l v. O'Neill, 499 U.S. at 78, 111 S.Ct. 1127. For that reason, the final product of the bargaining process may constitute evidence of a breach of duty only if it can be fairly characterized as so far outside a wide range of reasonableness that it is wholly irrational or arbitrary. Id. (internal citation and quotation marks omitted). The rationality of a union's decision must be evaluated in light of both the facts and the legal climate that confronted the negotiators at the time the decision was made. Id. To demonstrate bad faith representation by a union, a party must show improper intent, purpose, or motive. Spellacy v. Airline Pilots Ass'n-Int'l, 156 F.3d 120, 126 (2d Cir.1998) (observing that [b]ad faith encompasses fraud, dishonesty, and other intentionally misleading conduct). Even if a party makes such a showing, it must further demonstrate a causal connection between the union's misconduct and the complained-of injury. Id.