45 U.S.C. § 156
Section 156 · Procedure in changing rates of pay, rules, and working conditions
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 427 court decisions — leading case Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston (1985)
Most recently applied in Intl Assn of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Trans v. Iowa Northern Railway Company (June 2022)
Applied most in the District Circuit Circuit (52 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 45 U.S.C. § 152 · 45 U.S.C. § 151 · 45 U.S.C. § 153
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment and consequential amendments — watch for a citation surge after a change. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Carriers and representatives of the employees shall give at least thirty days’ written notice of an intended change in agreements affecting rates of pay, rules, or working conditions, and the time and place for the beginning of conference between the representatives of the parties interested in such intended changes shall be agreed upon within ten days after the receipt of said notice, and said time shall be within the thirty days provided in the notice. In every case where such notice of intended change has been given, or conferences are being held with reference thereto, or the services of the Mediation Board have been requested by either party, or said Board has proffered its services, rates of pay, rules, or working conditions shall not be altered by the carrier until the controversy has been finally acted upon, as required by section 155 of this title, by the Mediation Board, unless a period of ten days has elapsed after termination of conferences without request for or proffer of the services of the Mediation Board.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Amendments
1934—Act June 21, 1934, inserted “in agreements” after “intended change” in text, struck out provision formerly contained in text concerning changes requested by more than one class, and substituted “Mediation Board” for “Board of Mediation” wherever appearing.
Wage and Salary Adjustments
Ex. Ord. No. 9299, eff. Feb. 4, 1943, 8 F.R. 1669, provided procedure with respect to wage and salary adjustments for employees subject to this chapter.