Presidential Emergency Board Recommendations

Presidential Emergency Board 242, appointed by President Bush, seems at first blush to have delivered almost everything the unions wanted.  This is not something that everyone would have predicted that a group of Bush appointees would do.  The recommendations may reduce the likelihood of a strike at the end of January, since the unions—having the PEB recommendations on their side—are likely to be focused on getting them implemented, and thus on avoiding actions—like a strike—that would antagonize the nation in general and the lawmakers on whom the unions would be counting to fund these recommendations.  But don’t take that prediction to the bank!  Stay tuned for further developments, and see also the report at the bottom of our January 4 Hotline.

—Ross B. Capon