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The Benefits of ARLA Membership
ARLA was founded in 1989 by professional practitioners of the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) from throughout the country to:
- help counter any legislative or judicial threats to the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA)
- to create a platform to share information and issues with secure confidential communications on a daily basis
- to create and maintain a library of documents that were found to be useful in previous FELA cases
Today, our level of internal secure communications and daily sharing of information, briefs, and collective wisdom with our secure dedicated listserv is an integral part of the success of our FELA attorney membership. Our injured worker clients benefit from our ARLA members communicating and sharing information on the same platform each day.
Our ARLA library is extensive with more than 12,000 documents found to be useful in previous FELA cases, catalogued with an excellent search menu by topic or keyword, and continues in constant growth with a dedicated ARLA webmaster.
ARLA members stay up to date on the current trends the railroads are attempting to use to gain an advantage against their injured workers; the daily sharing of hundreds of years of collective wisdom has proven to be very beneficial. These services are sensitive and confidential and only available for our ARLA members.
ARLA MEMBERS HELPING ARLA MEMBERS
Legislatively, ARLA continues at the forefront of FELA defense and preservation working with our Rail Labor partners. ARLA maintains a dedicated Legislative Representative in Washington DC, who coordinates ARLA’s legislative activities. ARLA chartered our own Political Action Committee in 2017 and use ARLA PAC frequently to deliver our message of rail safety and public safety on both sides of the aisle, face to face with the decision makers (more than 100 informal functions attended in the past 3 years) . We receive excellent support from our ARLA members for our PAC, and all contributions are voluntary from personal accounts.
Membership Eligibility
Eligibility for membership in the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA) is available for all persons who are members in good standing of their respective state bar; whose practice includes the representation of injured railroad employees or their families; and, who adhere to the ARLA Code of Conduct, which is included as a part in the application. Once an application is received, it will be reviewed by the ARLA Membership Committee for confirmation that the applicant is eligible for membership pursuant to the ARLA Bylaws. Should there be any questions, the applicant will be contacted by a member of the committee or by a member of the ARLA Board of Managers.
SOME ISSUES ARLA AND LABOR WERE ABLE TO PREVENT FROM BEING ENACTED
- Employees being sanctioned as the result of information from inward facing cameras.
- Non-safety conditions being imposed before a regulation could be promulgated.
- Every proposed regulation would require the Rail Safety Advisory Committee to unanimously agree in advance.
- Upon request of a railroad, any waiver shall be incorporated into a nationwide regulation.
- No guidance document by FRA would have binding effect.
- Before FRA issuing a regulation, it must be the least burdensome on the railroads and whether there should be alternatives to a regulation.
- FRA shall be required to conduct a review of each regulation every 5 years to determine if the rule is necessary.
- Railroads would be exempt from training regulations where the costs do not justify the benefits.
- The requirement for performance-based standards.
- Deletion of the requirement for emergency escape breathing apparatus.
- Deletion of training requirements.
- Testing all employees for sleep apnea.
- Replacement of the hours-of-service law to FRA regulations which could be amended easily.
Download Your Membership Application Today
CLICK HERE to download the application
