republic-os/legal/us/code/title-45/chapter-8/section-159a.md

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LegalText	45 U.S.C. § 159a	Special procedure for commuter service	us	united_states_code	code_section	45	RAILROADS	8	RAILWAY LABOR	159a	45 U.S.C. § 159a	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc45@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t45/s159a	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-45/usc45.xml	3799405db022f641ae51d1e582df306b9a799167083f0a3e9a569257deb5299b	6ff04cb352e22f8a18f24c94e9adb8036909cf2a75f41489d768a5934fb9667c	15f0582c29e0d38605703252bd45c4973d3e486cfeb03960c817a63e53d387ab	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

45 U.S.C. § 159a - Special procedure for commuter service

Text

(a) Applicability of provisions Except as provided in section 590(h) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title, the provisions of this section shall apply to any dispute subject to this chapter between a publicly funded and publicly operated carrier providing rail commuter service (including the Amtrak Commuter Services Corporation) and its employees.

(b) Request for establishment of emergency board If a dispute between the parties described in subsection (a) is not adjusted under the foregoing provisions of this chapter and the President does not, under section 160 of this title, create an emergency board to investigate and report on such dispute, then any party to the dispute or the Governor of any State through which the service that is the subject of the dispute is operated may request the President to establish such an emergency board.

(c) Establishment of emergency board (1) Upon the request of a party or a Governor under subsection (b), the President shall create an emergency board to investigate and report on the dispute in accordance with section 160 of this title. For purposes of this subsection, the period during which no change, except by agreement, shall be made by the parties in the conditions out of which the dispute arose shall be 120 days from the day of the creation of such emergency board.

(2) If the President, in his discretion, creates a board to investigate and report on a dispute between the parties described in subsection (a), the provisions of this section shall apply to the same extent as if such board had been created pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.

(d) Public hearing by National Mediation Board upon failure of emergency board to effectuate settlement of dispute Within 60 days after the creation of an emergency board under this section, if there has been no settlement between the parties, the National Mediation Board shall conduct a public hearing on the dispute at which each party shall appear and provide testimony setting forth the reasons it has not accepted the recommendations of the emergency board for settlement of the dispute.

(e) Establishment of second emergency board If no settlement in the dispute is reached at the end of the 120-day period beginning on the date of the creation of the emergency board, any party to the dispute or the Governor of any State through which the service that is the subject of the dispute is operated may request the President to establish another emergency board, in which case the President shall establish such emergency board.

(f) Submission of final offers to second emergency board by parties Within 30 days after creation of a board under subsection (e), the parties to the dispute shall submit to the board final offers for settlement of the dispute.

(g) Report of second emergency board Within 30 days after the submission of final offers under subsection (f), the emergency board shall submit a report to the President setting forth its selection of the most reasonable offer.

(h) Maintenance of status quo during dispute period From the time a request to establish a board is made under subsection (e) until 60 days after such board makes its report under subsection (g), no change, except by agreement, shall be made by the parties in the conditions out of which the dispute arose.

(i) Work stoppages by employees subsequent to carrier offer selected; eligibility of employees for benefits If the emergency board selects the final offer submitted by the carrier and, after the expiration of the 60-day period described in subsection (h), the employees of such carrier engage in any work stoppage arising out of the dispute, such employees shall not be eligible during the period of such work stoppage for benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 351 et seq.].

(j) Work stoppages by employees subsequent to employees offer selected; eligibility of employer for benefits If the emergency board selects the final offer submitted by the employees and, after the expiration of the 60-day period described in subsection (h), the carrier refuses to accept the final offer submitted by the employees and the employees of such carrier engage in any work stoppage arising out of the dispute, the carrier shall not participate in any benefits of any agreement between carriers which is designed to provide benefits to such carriers during a work stoppage.

(May 20, 1926, ch. 347, § 9A, as added Pub. L. 97–35, title XI, § 1157, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 681.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextSection 590(h) of this title, referred to in subsec. (a), was repealed by Pub. L. 103–272, § 7(b), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1379. The Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, referred to in subsec. (i), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 680, 52 Stat. 1094, which is classified principally to chapter 11 (§ 351 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 367 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective Aug. 13, 1981, see section 1169 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.