Washington, DC - Today, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order creating a second Presidential Emergency Board to help resolve an ongoing dispute between the New Jersey Transit Rail and some of its employees.
The Presidential Emergency Board will provide a structure that allows the two sides to attempt to resolve their disagreements. In the 60 days following its establishment, the Presidential Emergency Board will obtain final offers for settlement of the dispute from each side, and then produce a report to the President that selects the offer that the Board finds to be the most reasonable. The Board’s report is not binding, but the party whose offer is not selected would be prohibited by law from receiving certain benefits if a work stoppage subsequently occurs.
President Obama also announced that he intends to appoint the following members to Presidential Emergency Board No. 249:
- Joshua Javits – Chair, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
- Elizabeth Neumeier – Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
- Nancy E. Peace – Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
President Obama said, “I appreciate that these dedicated individuals have agreed to devote their talent and years of experience working on labor-management disputes to help reach a swift and smooth resolution of this issue.”
Joshua Javits, Appointee for Chair, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
Joshua Javits is the founder of Dispute Resolution Services and has been a mediator and arbitrator since 1985. Mr. Javits served on Presidential Emergency Boards in 2007, 2011, and 2014. From 2007 to 2011, he served as Grievance Committee Chairman of the International Monetary Fund, and Partner at Ford & Harrison LLP from 1993 to 2001. In 1988, Mr. Javits was appointed to be a member and Chairman of the National Mediation Board, where he served until 1993. He also worked as a labor-management arbitrator from 1985 to 1988, an associate attorney at Mulholland & Hickey from 1983 to 1985, and a trial attorney for the National Labor Relations Board from 1978 to 1983. Mr. Javits served as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center from 1990 to 2002. He is on the rosters of the American Arbitration Association, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the National Mediation Board. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Mr. Javits received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Elizabeth Neumeier, Appointee for Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
Elizabeth Neumeier has been a self-employed arbitrator since 1983. In 1994, Ms. Neumeier served as a member on Presidential Emergency Board No. 225 and currently serves as a member of the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board. From 1980 to 1982, she was Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Chief Counsel at the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Ms. Neumeier served as Counsel for the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO from 1975 to 1979. She is on the rosters of the National Mediation Board and the American Arbitration Association and is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Ms. Neumeier received a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Nancy E. Peace, Appointee for Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 249
Nancy E. Peace has been an arbitrator, mediator, and consultant since 1993. From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Peace served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Education Partnership. From 1999 to 2010, she was a part-time instructor at various colleges, first at Emerson College from 1993 to 1996 and then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1999 to 2010. From 1983 to 1993, she served as a mediator and arbitrator for the Massachusetts Board of Conciliation and Arbitration. Prior to this role, she was an associate professor at Simmons College from 1977 to 1983. She received a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, an M.A. from University of Michigan, and a D.L.S. from Columbia University.
