Railway Labor Executives' Ass'n v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co.

Defendants-appellees, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and a number of other railway carriers (“the Railroads”) whose merger was approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission (“ICC”), sought to arbitrate the implementation of a plan coordinating their maintenance operations under the labor dispute resolution procedures imposed by the ICC in connection with that merger. Plaintiffs-appellants, the Railway Labor Executives’ Association and other rail labor unions representing employees of these railroads (“the Unions”), commenced this lawsuit in federal district court seeking a declaration that they were not required to arbitrate under those procedures. The district court dismissed the action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. We affirm.

I.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In August 1988, the ICC approved a proposal under which Rio Grande Industries (“RGI”), owner of the Denver Rio Grande Western Railroad Company, obtained control of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and its subsidiary railroad companies. See Rio Grande Industries, Inc., SPTC Holding Inc., and The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Compan y—Con trol —Southern Pacific Transp. Co.,…