The National Mediation Board (NMB) is an independent agency of the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

that coordinates

labor-management relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor/trade unions, employer organizations, ...

within the U.S. railroads and airlines industries.

History

The board was established by the 1934 amendments to the

Railway Labor Act The Railway Labor Act is a United States federal law on US labor law that governs labor relations in the railroad and airline industries. The Act, enacted in 1926 and amended in 1934 and 1936, seeks to substitute bargaining, arbitration, and media ...

of 1926 and is headed by a three-person panel of Presidential appointees. NMB programs provide an integrated dispute resolution process to meet the statutory objective of minimizing strikes and other work stoppages in the

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

industries. The NMB's integrated processes specifically are designed to promote three statutory goals: * The prompt and orderly resolution of disputes arising out of the negotiation of new or revised

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The ...

agreements; * The effectuation of employee rights of self-organization where a representation dispute exists; and * The prompt and orderly resolution of disputes over the interpretation or application of existing agreements.

Contracts

Under the Railway Labor Act, an airline or railroad union contract does not expire; it remains in force and amendable until a new contract is ratified by the union members or either side exercises "self-help," which could be a strike by employees or a lockout by management. Before this can happen, the NMB-appointed

mediator Mediator may refer to: *A person who engages in mediation * Business mediator, a mediator in business * Vanishing mediator, a philosophical concept * Mediator variable, in statistics Chemistry and biology *Mediator (coactivator), a multiprotein ...

must declare an impasse in negotiations, which starts a 30-day cooling off period, during which negotiations continue. Once the 30-day period has passed, either side is free to exercise self-help, unless the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

authorizes a Presidential Emergency Board, which issues non-binding recommendations followed by another 30-day cooling off period. The

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

also has the power to impose a contract, but that has rarely happened in recent years.

Board members

The Board is composed of 3 members, nominated by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

, with the

advice and consent of the Senate Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the president of the Unite ...

, for a term of three years. By statut
45 U.S.C. § 154
“not more than two ..shall be of the same political party”. At the end of a term of office a member may continue to serve until a successor is appointed or they are renominated.

References

External links

*
National Mediation Board
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on fede ...

1934 establishments in the United States Government agencies established in 1934 Independent agencies of the United States government Labor relations boards Mediation {{US-gov-stub

History

Contracts

Board members

See also

References

External links