Entry-rate arbitration set for Dec. 4 & 5

The recently ratified national rail agreement provided for a three-person arbitration panel that will include UTU International President Mike Futhey, the railroads' chief labor negotiator Robert Allen, and veteran arbitrator Robert E. Peterson serving as the neutral.

Presentations will be made by the UTU's general counsel, as well as by a carrier representative, in the two-day hearing that will be held in Washington, D.C.

Also to be presented are declarations by members of the UTU national negotiating committee.

The late date of the arbitration hearing is because of the unavailability of Allen. The decision will be written by the neutral within 30 days of the hearing dates.

Earlier in his career, Peterson was chief personnel officer for the Long Island Rail Road and manager of manpower planning and development for Penn Central Railroad. He is a graduate of New York University.

Most recently, Peterson served on PEB No. 240, which investigated a dispute between Metro-North Commuter Railroad and the Transportation Communications Union and Machinists; and PEB No. 239, which investigated a dispute between SEPTA in Philadelphia and the BLET.

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