National Mediation Board (NMB) member and Democrat Deirdre Hamilton has sued to regain her post following her Oct. 14, 2025, firing by POTUS 47—one of many legally questionable independent federal regulatory agency
National Mediation Board member Deirdre E. Hamilton, a Democrat, was fired Oct. 14 by POTUS 47, making her one of many legally questionable independent regulatory agency terminations by the POTUS. Hamilton’s departure
News Item: The President issued an Executive Order Feb. 18 asserting direct control of independent (from the Executive Branch) federal agencies, including the National Mediation Board (NMB, which administers the Railway Labor
The years-long collective bargaining dispute between New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET) continues with the recent appointment of a second Presidential Emergency Board (PEB).
As baseball is a straightforward game—hit the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball—negotiating wage, benefits and work rules agreements between railroads and their dozen craft-differentiated labor unions is equally uncomplicated. The
The National Mediation Board (NMB) has confirmed “that, pursuant to the Railway Labor Act, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJ Transit) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) were released
“Biden stabs unions and workers in the back,” shouted a headline describing rail labor’s reaction following the President’s Dec. 2 signing into law of a congressional resolution (H.J. Res. 100) imposing on
Although six of 12 rail labor unions have ratified amendments to contracts setting wages, benefits and work rules on most Class I railroads and many smaller ones, two unions—the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters Union (BMWED)—have rejected the tentative deal, creating a likelihood of a nationwide rail work stoppage as early as November 19.
If tentative wages, benefits and work rules agreements reached between rail labor unions and most Class I railroads (and many smaller ones) fail to be ratified by union members in coming weeks, might leadership of those unions override a majority “no” vote and unilaterally impose the tentative agreement or, alternatively, submit it to binding arbitration rather than pursue further collective bargaining or authorize a strike?
In a final effort to avoid a nationwide rail shutdown as early as Sept. 16, the National Mediation Board (NMB) has ordered railroad negotiators and the leadership of unions still at the bargaining table to return to Washington, D.C., Sept. 7 for an NMB-guided try at reaching tentative agreements on amending wage, benefits and work rules contracts.
