Executive Order 13248: Establishing an Emergency Board To Investigate a Dispute Between United Airlines, Inc., and its Mechanics and Related Employees Represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
President: George W. Bush
Created a three-member Presidential Emergency Board under the Railway Labor Act to investigate the unresolved United Airlines mechanics dispute, report within 30 days and preserve the status quo through a second 30-day cooling-off period.
Status: Completed/expired.
Is Executive Order 13248 still in effect? No. Completed; board reported and agreement was ratified.
What does Executive Order 13248 do?
The order assigned these duties: President — Appoint three disinterested board members; Emergency Board 236 — Investigate the dispute and report to the President.
Compared the emergency-board appointment, 30-day report and cooling-off terms with the signed order and board record. The report, rejection vote and later ratified agreement are described as separate events; the temporary board is complete.
Before and after
Before the order
Mediation had not produced an agreement, and the National Mediation Board found that a stoppage threatened essential interstate air service.
After the order
The board held a four-day hearing and reported on January 19, 2002. IAM members rejected its recommendations, but further negotiations produced an agreement ratified on March 5, 2002; the temporary board then had no continuing role.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| President | Appoint three disinterested board members | For the board beginning December 21, 2001 |
| Emergency Board 236 | Investigate the dispute and report to the President | Within 30 days of creation |
| United Airlines and IAM | Maintain the conditions underlying the dispute unless they agreed otherwise | Until 30 days after the report |
What happened next
EO 13248 signed.
Emergency Board 236 took effect.
The board delivered its report after a four-day hearing.
IAM members rejected the board recommendations and authorized a strike.
The parties’ negotiated agreement was ratified.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Sections 10 and 201 of the Railway Labor Act authorized the temporary investigation and cooling-off periods; they did not empower the board to impose a contract. The order expired by its own terms when the report was submitted. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- 45 U.S.C. § 160 — emergency boards (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →