(The National Mediation Board issued the following on August 12, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce the establishment of an intern program that is designed to introduce students in a wide range of academic disciplines to the complexities of airline and railroad labor relations. Students will engage with all of the mission areas of the NMB, and will take away from their internship experience an appreciation for, and perhaps a desire to engage in, the work of the Board and the labor relations community.
More important than the basic information the interns will gain are the principles that underlie the NMB internship program. The most successful practitioners in labor relations bring a strong desire to help the labor force and the country by creating strong carriers with fair and attractive work places in which skilled workers can continue to move people and products across America. A commitment to fairness, integrity, creativity, collegiality, and pragmatism are the basic principles that make it possible to create these work places, and they are the principles embodied by the three labor relations paragons for whom the NMB program is named.
— James Brunkenhoefer, known to everyone as “Brokenrail,” was the National Legislative Director of the United Transportation Union from 1987 until his death in 2008. He began his career with Southern Pacific in Texas, eventually becoming an engineer before beginning his work for the union.
— David P. Lee served as Vice-Chairman of the National Railway Labor Conference from 1983 until his death in 2001. He represented railroad interests before Congress and groups such as study commissions examining railroad labor relations.
— Charlie Moneypenny was the Railroad Director and Legislative Representative of the Transport Workers Union of America. During his tenure at TWU, Charlie had primary responsibility in the union’s collective bargaining and government affairs operations.
If the interns working with the NMB can live up to their example, labor relations in the airline and railroads will be in good hands for the future.
The National Mediation Board is an independent Federal agency established by the Railway Labor Act, which governs labor-management relations within two key transportation sectors of the United States and U.S. territories: the railroads and airlines.