In early March, a White House-appointed mediation panel, Presidential Emergency Board 254, heard from five rail unions, including BLET, as well as the Long Island Rail Road’s management on proposals for a new agreement in the years-long contract dispute at the nation’s busiest commuter railroad. This is the second time a Presidential Emergency Board appointed by President Trump has been convened in this dispute. The Railway Labor Act allows for two PEBs in disputes involving passenger rail.
In October, the first Presidential Emergency Board, PEB 253, called for raises and retroactive pay for LIRR’s rail workers. The employer’s request for sweeping changes to work rules was rejected.
Said BLET Vice President Kevin Sexton, “What has changed since the last PEB other than the pages of the calendar? We expect the second PEB to reach a similar conclusion.” Sexton was joined in Washington for the presentation to the PEB by BLET Vice President James Louis and Gilman Lang who is the BLET General Chairman at LIRR as well as representatives from the other rail labor coalition partners.
PEB 254 is expected to announce its recommendations on March 16. If the recommendations are not accepted by the parties, a 60-day cooling off period will begin. If no voluntary settlement is reached in that period, “self help” where the unions can strike or the employer, LIRR/Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), can lock out its workers will begin on May 16.
The coalition of five rail unions representing the majority of LIRR’s unionized workforce includes BLET along with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU).