August 12, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

Contact: NMB Public Information Line -- (202) 692-5050

Re: NMB Requests Public Comments on Proposed Rule Changes Governing Grievance Arbitration in the Railroad Industry

Washington, D.C. -- The National Mediation Board is proposing rule changes governing grievance arbitration in the railroad industry.

Proposed rule changes include a new requirement that arbitrators, in order to be paid with public funds, must resolve arbitrations within one year from the date notices are filed, unless a specific waiver is granted by the NMB Director of Arbitration Services. Another change would bar the assignment of additional cases to arbitrators who do not meet specified time frames for processing cases. And, in order to encourage the parties to make more efficient use of the agency’s arbitration services, a fee schedule is proposed covering grievance filings and the appointments of arbitrators.

The full text of the proposed rulemaking is available on the Internet. Comments regarding these proposed changes should be submitted in writing by September 8, 2004, to Roland Watkins, Director of Arbitration Services, National Mediation Board, 1301 K. St. NW, Suite 250 East, Washington, DC 20005. You may also submit your comments via an Email message sent to arb@nmb.gov (put your text into the body of the email and, if you wish, also attach an MS Word Document).

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