Executive Order 12874: Establishing an Emergency Board to Investigate a Dispute Between The Long Island Rail Road and Certain of Its Employees Represented by the United Transportation Union
President: Bill Clinton
Created the first statutory emergency board for a Long Island Rail Road labor dispute; the board reported and ended, and EO 12899 later created a second board.
Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 12874 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12874 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 12874 do?
EO 12874 used section 9A of the Railway Labor Act to establish a three-member emergency board for a dispute between the Long Island Rail Road and employees represented by the United Transportation Union. The board had 30 days to investigate and report recommendations, after which it terminated. The recommendations were not accepted, and EO 12899 records that the first board had ended before creating the Act’s second-stage board in February 1994.
Before and after
Before the order
The parties had not adjusted the dispute through the Railway Labor Act process, and an eligible party requested an emergency board.
After the order
A three-member board investigated and reported; when its recommendations were not accepted, the statutory second-board process followed.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| President | Appoint three disinterested board members | On establishment |
| Emergency Board | Investigate and report recommendations to the President | Within 30 days |
| Parties | Maintain existing conditions except by agreement | For the Railway Labor Act cooling-off period |
What happened next
EO 12874 established the first emergency board.
EO 12899 recorded the unsuccessful first stage and established a second board.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order was a temporary dispute-resolution step under 45 U.S.C. § 159a, not a binding award on the merits. The board terminated when it reported; the Railway Labor Act supplied the separate status-quo periods and second-board procedure.
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.
- U.S. Code — 45 U.S.C. § 159a (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 14, 2026. How we research →