Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
491 U.S. 299 · Decided June 19, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Railway Labor Executives' Association was decided on June 19, 1989 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Labor-management working conditions” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 299 · 109 S. Ct. 2477 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 250 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3000
- Docket number
- 88-1
- Decided
- June 19, 1989
- Argued
- February 28, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Labor-management working conditions
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Railway Labor Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Railway Labor Executives' Association et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-120, docket 1988-120-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Labor-management working conditions”
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Atchison
- Ford Motor Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Detroit & Toledo Shore Line Railroad Co. v. United Transportation Union
- National Labor Relations Board v. Strong
- National Labor Relations Board v. Great Dane Trailers, Inc.
- National Labor Relations Board v. C & C Plywood Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act
- Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Co. v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Independent Federation of Flight Attendants
- Landers v. National Railroad Passengers Corporation
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
- Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. v. Grant T. Norris
- Ellis v. Brotherhood of Railway
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Reed v. United Transportation Union
- Sheet Metal Workers' International Assn. v. Lynn
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Independent Federation of Flight Attendants
- Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Co. v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error