Agency report finds NMB lacking

   In a recent study of the National Mediation Board, which resolves labor disputes and oversees union elections in the railroad and airline industries, the Government Accountability Office recommended tasking a federal agency with oversight of the board and noted that the board’s update of its strategic plan, which is required by law, is not complete.
   The GAO also recommended that the board develop performance goals and enact a security and privacy program.
   “NMB should also collect and analyze data on the types of rail grievances filed to help improve efficiency in its arbitration process,” the GAO wrote. “In commenting on a draft of this report, NMB said it would address our recommendations.”
   The GAO had been tasked with evaluating the board, which was created under the Railway Labor Act, by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The office looked at its strategic planning, management controls and challenges it may have in overseeing labor elections.