Tensions have arisen between the Long Island Rail Road Company and various labor groups representing its employees. The organizations embroiled in these conflicts include the Transportation Communications Union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
To date, these disputes have not been resolved under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which governs such matters (45 U.S.C. 151-188).
In response to the ongoing disagreements, an emergency board was created on September 18, 2025, following Executive Order 14349 issued on September 16, 2025, aimed at investigating these disputes. This emergency board concluded its work upon delivering its findings to the President, yet its recommendations were not unanimously accepted by all involved parties.
In light of this stagnation, a party authorized by the RLA has petitioned the President to establish a second emergency board under section 9A of the RLA (45 U.S.C. 159a). According to section 9A(e) of the RLA, the President is obliged to appoint this second board to further investigate and report on the ongoing disputes.
NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority granted to me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 9A of the RLA, I hereby order:
Section 1. Establishment of a Second Emergency Board (Board). Effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 16, 2026, a new Board will be established, comprised of a chair and two additional members, all appointed by the President. Importantly, no member shall have any financial interest in any railroad employee organization or any carrier. The Board will operate contingent on available funding.
Sec.2. Report. Pursuant to section 9A(f) of the RLA, all parties involved in the disputes will submit their final settlement offers to the Board within 30 days of its formation. Following this, within a further 30 days, the Board will present its report to the President, detailing which offer it deems most reasonable.
Sec.3. Maintaining Conditions. In accordance with section 9A(h) of the RLA, from the moment a request for the Board’s establishment is made until 60 days post-report submission to the President, the parties involved must not alter the conditions leading to these disputes without mutual consent.
Sec.4. Records Maintenance. The records and documentation of the Board will be classified as Office of the President records and, upon the Board’s conclusion, will be archived by the National Mediation Board.
Sec.5. Expiration. The Board will dissolve once it submits its report to the President as outlined in section 2 of this order.
Sec.6. Costs of Publication. The expenses incurred in publishing this order will be the responsibility of the Department of Transportation.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 14, 2026.
