American Labor Law and the United States Space Shuttle

Potential labor law disputes in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space shuttle program pose unique problems. This Article discusses several problems that might arise from both shuttle-related activities on Earth and shuttle activities in space: labor disputes between NASA and its own employees, third-party labor disputes adversely affecting shuttle operations, disputes arising from the planned private management of the shuttle, and labor disputes on board the shuttle and on future space stations. In each of these cases the Article explores the extent to which the National Labor Relations Act, the Labor Management Relations Act, and other federal labor laws are adequate to resolve the issues that may arise. The Article seeks to spur further analysis of these potential impediments to the shuttle program.