Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 45 : Section 159


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 159. Award and judgment thereon; effect of chapter on individual employee

    First. Filing of award
      The award of a board of arbitration, having been acknowledged as
    herein provided, shall be filed in the clerk's office of the
    district court designated in the agreement to arbitrate.
    Second. Conclusiveness of award; judgment
      An award acknowledged and filed as herein provided shall be
    conclusive on the parties as to the merits and facts of the
    controversy submitted to arbitration, and unless, within ten days
    after the filing of the award, a petition to impeach the award, on
    the grounds hereinafter set forth, shall be filed in the clerk's
    office of the court in which the award has been filed, the court
    shall enter judgment on the award, which judgment shall be final
    and conclusive on the parties.
    Third. Impeachment of award; grounds
      Such petition for the impeachment or contesting of any award so
    filed shall be entertained by the court only on one or more of the
    following grounds:
      (a) That the award plainly does not conform to the substantive
    requirements laid down by this chapter for such awards, or that the
    proceedings were not substantially in conformity with this chapter;
      (b) That the award does not conform, nor confine itself, to the
    stipulations of the agreement to arbitrate; or
      (c) That a member of the board of arbitration rendering the award
    was guilty of fraud or corruption; or that a party to the
    arbitration practiced fraud or corruption which fraud or corruption
    affected the result of the arbitration: Provided, however, That no
    court shall entertain any such petition on the ground that an award
    is invalid for uncertainty; in such case the proper remedy shall be
    a submission of such award to a reconvened board, or subcommittee
    thereof, for interpretation, as provided by this chapter: Provided
    further, That an award contested as herein provided shall be
    construed liberally by the court, with a view to favoring its
    validity, and that no award shall be set aside for trivial
    irregularity or clerical error, going only to form and not to
    substance.
    Fourth. Effect of partial invalidity of award
      If the court shall determine that a part of the award is invalid
    on some ground or grounds designated in this section as a ground of
    invalidity, but shall determine that a part of the award is valid,
    the court shall set aside the entire award: Provided, however,
    That, if the parties shall agree thereto, and if such valid and
    invalid parts are separable, the court shall set aside the invalid
    part, and order judgment to stand as to the valid part.
    Fifth. Appeal; record
      At the expiration of 10 days from the decision of the district
    court upon the petition filed as aforesaid, final judgment shall be
    entered in accordance with said decision, unless during said 10
    days either party shall appeal therefrom to the court of appeals.
    In such case only such portion of the record shall be transmitted
    to the appellate court as is necessary to the proper understanding
    and consideration of the questions of law presented by said
    petition and to be decided.
    Sixth. Finality of decision of court of appeals
      The determination of said court of appeals upon said questions
    shall be final, and, being certified by the clerk thereof to said
    district court, judgment pursuant thereto shall thereupon be
    entered by said district court.
    Seventh. Judgment where petitioner's contentions are sustained
      If the petitioner's contentions are finally sustained, judgment
    shall be entered setting aside the award in whole or, if the
    parties so agree, in part; but in such case the parties may agree
    upon a judgment to be entered disposing of the subject matter of
    the controversy, which judgment when entered shall have the same
    force and effect as judgment entered upon an award.
    Eighth. Duty of employee to render service without consent; right
      to quit
      Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require an
    individual employee to render labor or service without his consent,
    nor shall anything in this chapter be construed to make the
    quitting of his labor or service by an individual employee an
    illegal act; nor shall any court issue any process to compel the
    performance by an individual employee of such labor or service,
    without his consent.



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