45 U.S.C. § 151a — General purposes

This section lists the chapter's five purposes: (1) To avoid any interruption to commerce, or to the operation of any carrier engaged in it. (2) To forbid any limit on workers' freedom to associate with each other, and to forbid an employer from denying, as a condition of employment or otherwise, an employee's right to join a labor organization. (3) To provide for the complete independence of carriers and of employees in organizing themselves, so as to carry out the purposes of this chapter. (4) To provide for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes about rates of pay, rules, or working conditions. (5) To provide for the prompt and orderly settlement of all disputes growing out of grievances, or out of interpreting or applying agreements covering rates of pay, rules, or working conditions.