
Strike Clock Ticking for Amtrak Machinists
WASHINGTON — The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) says its 500 Amtrak members can strike on Dec. 1 unless President Bush intervenes and appoints a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB). A 30-day countdown began when the National Mediation Board formally released the IAM and Amtrak from mediated negotiations on Oct. 31. “We expect and are prepared for a Presidential Emergency Board,” said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. “Our attorneys and economists are primed to defend the fair and reasonable positions our negotiators have taken at the bargaining table.” Once empanelled, a PEB has 30 days to