Establishing an Emergency Board To Investigate Disputes Between Metro North Commuter Railroad and Its Employees Represented by Certain Labor Organizations

President Clinton established a three-member emergency board under the Railway Labor Act to investigate unresolved labor disputes between Metro North Commuter Railroad and twelve represented labor organizations. The board must receive final settlement offers within 30 days of its creation and submit a report selecting the most reasonable offer within 30 days thereafter, with mandatory status quo conditions maintained throughout the process.

Federal Register Open PDF 60 FR 39623

Impact dates

Nov 28, 1995
Status quo conditions expire (60 days after board report)
Sep 29, 1995
Board submits report to President with selected most reasonable offer
Aug 30, 1995
Parties submit final offers for settlement

Key directives

Establish three-member emergency board effective July 31, 1995
Parties submit final offers within 30 days of board creation
Board submits report selecting most reasonable offer within 30 days of final offers
Maintain status quo conditions from request date through 60 days after report
Transfer records to National Mediation Board upon termination

Timeline

Immediate

Emergency board established effective July 31, 1995
Status quo conditions locked in for dispute duration

Near term (90d)

Final offers due within 30 days of board creation
Board report due within 60 days of board creation (30 days after offers received)
Board terminates upon report submission

Long term

Potential precedent for Railway Labor Act dispute resolution
Records transferred to National Mediation Board

Risks & tensions

Binding selection of 'most reasonable offer' may satisfy neither party, risking post-process disputes
Status quo lockout period of potentially 120+ days may strain labor relations if parties reject imposed outcome
Board effectiveness contingent on 'availability of funds' — vague contingency with unclear fallback
Narrow mandate: board selects between final offers only, cannot propose compromise solutions