Economy, finance and labor

Executive Order 13004: Establishing an Emergency Board to Investigate Disputes Between Certain Railroads Represented by the National Railway Labor Conference and Their Employees Represented by Certain Labor Organizations

President: Bill Clinton

Created a temporary emergency board to investigate unresolved national rail disputes involving machinists, electrical workers and sheet-metal workers.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13004 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13004 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13004 do?

EO 13004 created Presidential Emergency Board 230 under section 10 of the Railway Labor Act after mediation failed between railroads represented by the National Railway Labor Conference and employees represented by three craft unions. The three-member board investigated and reported while the parties maintained the status quo. The National Mediation Board records the board as created on May 17 and closed on June 23, 1996, ending its temporary role.

Administration position: The order delayed self-help and produced nonbinding recommendations; it did not permanently dictate national rail pay or working rules.
SignedMay 17, 1996
BoardPresidential Emergency Board 230
UnionsIAM, IBEW and SMWIA

Before and after

Before the order

Mediation had not resolved the coordinated disputes and a work stoppage threatened interstate commerce.

After the order

The parties received a board report after a statutory investigation and cooling-off period.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Emergency boardInvestigate and report on the disputesWithin the statutory period
Railroads and unionsMaintain the status quoDuring the cooling-off period

What happened next

EO 13004 created PEB 230.

The National Mediation Board records the board as closed.