White House Statement on the Report of Presidential Emergency Board No. 215 To Investigate a Railroad Labor Dispute

August 3, 1988

Presidential Emergency Board No. 215 yesterday submitted its report to the President concerning the disputes between the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. (PATH) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

The Board was established on July 13, 1988, by Executive Order 12646, at the request of PATH. The Board was chaired by Herbert L. Marx, Jr., an arbitrator from New York City. Professor Daniel G. Collins of the New York University School of Law and Arbitrator M. David Vaughn of Washington, DC, were appointed as members of the Board.

The Board reported that as a result of public interest mediation conducted by the National Mediation Board, the parties reached agreement, which was subsequently ratified by the IBEW membership and approved by PATH board of directors. The agreement was signed by both parties on July 26, 1988. The veto period for the Governors of New York and New Jersey expired August 1, 1988.