Economy, finance and labor

Executive Order 13654: Establishing an Emergency Board To Investigate Disputes Between the Long Island Rail Road Company and Certain of Its Employees Represented by Certain Labor Organizations

President: Barack Obama

Created a Presidential Emergency Board to investigate an unresolved labor dispute at the Long Island Rail Road.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13654 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13654 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13654 do?

EO 13654 established a three-member presidential emergency board under the Railway Labor Act to investigate unresolved Long Island Rail Road labor disputes and report recommendations. The National Mediation Board records board 244 as operating from November to December 2013. Its recommendations were not accepted by the parties, and EO 13663 created a second board in March 2014. These boards addressed a specific dispute and did not permanently settle all Long Island Rail Road labor negotiations.

Administration position: The board’s recommendations were not a permanent labor contract and did not eliminate the parties’ collective-bargaining rights.
SignedNovember 21, 2013
BoardPresidential Emergency Board 244
Board periodNovember 21 – December 21, 2013
Follow-upEO 13663 established a second board in March 2014

Before and after

Before the order

National Mediation Board procedures had not produced agreement and a regional rail shutdown was possible.

After the order

A temporary board supplied findings and recommendations while statutory self-help was delayed.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Emergency boardInvestigate and reportCompleted
Carrier and unionsMaintain status quo during cooling-off periodCompleted
National Mediation BoardAdminister Railway Labor Act processCompleted for this stage

What happened next

EO 13654 established board 244.

The National Mediation Board records the first board as closed.

EO 13663 established a second board after the first recommendations were not accepted.