Robert Hull, Jr. v. John Dutton

CLARK, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiff-appellant Robert Hull, Jr. brought this action on behalf of a class composed of hourly employees of the Alabama State Dock Department, alleging they had been unconstitutionally denied longevity pay benefits as provided under Alabama law. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendant-appellee on the grounds that Alabama’s longevity pay statute, as applied to employees of the Docks Department, is preempted by the Railway Labor Act. We affirm.

I

The Docks Department is an Alabama state agency responsible for operation of the port facilities at…