Economy, finance and labor

Executive Order 13452: Establishing an Emergency Board to Investigate Disputes Between the National Railroad Passenger Corporation and Certain of Its Employees Represented by Certain Labor Organizations

President: George W. Bush

Set up a five-member emergency board for unresolved Amtrak labor disputes.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13452 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13452 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13452 do?

A five-member board began December 1, 2007, had 30 days to report and triggered a temporary status-quo period. The National Mediation Board lists Board 242 for Amtrak and the listed unions with a report date of December 30, 2007.

Administration position: Set up a five-member emergency board for unresolved Amtrak labor disputes.
SignedNovember 28, 2007
Earlier frameworkThe National Mediation Board judged the disputes serious enough under Railway Labor Act section 10 to threaten essential interstate service.
Responsible bodyEmergency Board 242 and Amtrak parties
Follow-up evidenceDecember 30, 2007: The National Mediation Board lists Board 242 for Amtrak and the listed unions with a report date of December 30, 2007.

Before and after

Before the order

The National Mediation Board judged the disputes serious enough under Railway Labor Act section 10 to threaten essential interstate service.

After the order

A five-member board began December 1, 2007, had 30 days to report and triggered a temporary status-quo period.

The National Mediation Board lists Board 242 for Amtrak and the listed unions with a report date of December 30, 2007.

What did the signed order change?

The National Mediation Board judged the disputes serious enough under Railway Labor Act section 10 to threaten essential interstate service. A five-member board began December 1, 2007, had 30 days to report and triggered a temporary status-quo period.

What happened later?

National Mediation Board — Presidential Emergency Boards: The National Mediation Board lists Board 242 for Amtrak and the listed unions with a report date of December 30, 2007.

What does that evidence establish?

Section 10 creates an investigative and cooling-off process; the board’s report is not itself a collective agreement. The listing does not prove the final settlement terms. The signed order states the original requirements.

Who had to do what

Source: Signed Federal Register text.
Agency / officeActionTiming / position
PresidentAppoint five emergency-board members without a financial or other interest in a railroad carrier or railroad-employee organization.Board established December 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time.
Emergency BoardInvestigate the Amtrak labor disputes and report to the President, subject to available funds.Report within 30 days of creation; terminate upon submission.
National Mediation BoardMaintain physical custody of the emergency board’s records, which remain presidential records.Upon the emergency board’s termination.
Amtrak and the labor organizations listed in the orderMaintain the conditions underlying the disputes unless the parties agree to changes.From board creation through 30 days after its report.

What happened next

EO 13452 signed.

The National Mediation Board lists Board 242 for Amtrak and the listed unions with a report date of December 30, 2007.