NMB director of mediation and ADR to retire

WASHINGTON – The National Mediation Board (NMB) announced June 25 that Larry Gibbons, director of NMB mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution services, will retire in September.

Gibbons has overall responsibility for managing the agency’s mediation program. He is credited for improving staff training and development and the effectiveness of the NMB mediation and ADR programs.

The NMB reports that during Gibbons’ 16 years, the mediation department has guided the parties to resolution of their collective-bargaining disputes in more than 99 percent of the hundreds of cases that have come before the board, including cases on all the major U.S. airlines and national handling of Class I railroads. During his watch, there have been only two work stoppages among the major airlines and none in the railroad industry. Gibbons joined the agency in 1997 as a senior mediator and became director of mediation services in 2003. He became director of the Office of Mediation and ADR services in 2011.

“This decision was not easy, nor was it made in haste,” Gibbons said. “After working full time for the past 45 years, the last 16 at the NMB, it is time to slow down a bit and enjoy life, while I’m still healthy and able to do so.”

Gibbons joined the agency in 1997 as a senior mediator and became director of mediation services in 2003. He became director of the Office of Mediation and ADR services in 2011.

Gibbons brought to the board 25 years of experience in personnel and labor relations under the Railway Labor Act and the National Labor Relations Act. Immediately prior to joining the NMB, he headed human resources and labor relations with ABX Air, Inc., for 12 years and for two years was an independent labor relations consultant. He is a past president and member of the AIRCON Executive Board.

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.

Under the Railway Labor Act, the National Mediation Board is assigned the task of assisting carrier and union officials in reaching voluntary agreement on wages, benefits and working conditions after the parties themselves have reached an impasse.