Economy, finance and labor

Executive Order 13003: Establishing an Emergency Board to Investigate Disputes Between Certain Railroads Represented by the National Carriers' Conference Committee of the National Labor Conference and Their Employees Represented by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees

President: Bill Clinton

Created an emergency board for national freight-rail disputes involving Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees workers.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13003 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13003 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13003 do?

EO 13003 created Presidential Emergency Board 229 under the Railway Labor Act to investigate disputes between railroads represented by the National Carriers’ Conference Committee and BMWE-represented maintenance-of-way employees. The order triggered a statutory status-quo period while the board investigated and made recommendations. National Mediation Board records show the board closed on June 23, 1996 after completing its temporary assignment.

Administration position: The board’s report was a temporary dispute-resolution step, not a permanent nationwide labor contract.
SignedMay 15, 1996
BoardPresidential Emergency Board 229
UnionBrotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees

Before and after

Before the order

Collective bargaining and mediation had reached an impasse with a threatened interruption of interstate commerce.

After the order

The board investigated and reported while self-help was postponed.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Emergency boardInvestigate and recommend settlement termsWithin the statutory period
Carriers and unionPreserve existing conditionsDuring the cooling-off period

What happened next

EO 13003 created PEB 229.

The board completed its work and closed.