A federal court has granted United Airlines's request for an injunction barring its pilots from participating in disruptive behaviors under the Railway Labor Act. The airline claims that the Air Line Pilots Association and four specific pilots engaged in a "sick-in" (numerous employees call in sick to create a shortage) that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights last summer. The alleged disruptive behavior was speculated to be a response to the more than 900 layoffs scheduled for the end of the summer at issue. The ALPA claims the behavior was neither planned nor encouraged by the union.
See "Courts bars United pilots from sick outs, disruptive behavior", James P. Miller, Chicago Tribune, November 17, 2008