November 28, 2007 - President George W. Bush has established a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to investigate collective bargaining disputes between the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) and several of its employees groups represented labor unions, including 500 workers represented by the Machinists Union. The presidential order is effective December 1, 2007, preventing a strike from occurring on that date.
“We expected a PEB and are prepared to present our case to the board,” said District 19 President Joe Duncan. “Amtrak dragged its feet for eight years while our members worked without general wage increases. It’s about time the process started moving forward.”
Once empanelled, a PEB has 30 days to investigate the dispute and issue non-binding recommendations for settlement. After the PEB reports to the President, the parties to the dispute have a 30-day cooling-off period to consider its recommendations. If no agreement is reached, the parties will be free to engage in self-help at the end of the second cooling-off period. The company can then lockout workers or impose employment terms and the union is free to strike.
The IAM opened bargaining with Amtrak in December 1999 as part of a 15,000 member-strong labor coalition that includes the Transportation Communications Union, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Transport Workers Union. The coalition partners will make a unified presentation to the PEB. Retroactive wage increases, work rule changes and employee contributions to healthcare premiums are among the contentious issues.
