NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD
July 1, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD
Contact: NMB Public Information Line — (202) 692-5050
Re: Puchala Assumes NMB Chairmanship
Washington, D.C. – The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce that Ms. Linda A. Puchala has been named Chairman of the National Mediation Board, effective July 1, 2022. Mr. Gerald W. Fauth III and Ms. Deirdre Hamilton remain as Members of the Board.
Chairman Puchala was first confirmed as Member of the National Mediation Board by the United States Senate on May 21, 2009. Ms. Puchala previously served as Chairman from May 2009 through June 30, 2009; July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012; July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014; July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017; and July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. Her most recent Senate confirmation came on November 2, 2017. Puchala has been re-nominated to her position by the Biden-Harris Administration.
Puchala has held various positions at the NMB during her 23-year tenure. Prior to serving as a Board Member for 13 years, Ms. Puchala served 10 years at the NMB as a Mediator and then as Sr. Mediator (ADR), and the Associate Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution Services. Ms. Puchala’s prior labor relations experience includes serving in various elected union positions before becoming the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO. Ms. Puchala also served as Staff Director, Michigan State Employees Association, AFSCME, AFL-CIO which represents members in the labor and trades and safety and regulatory fields.
A native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Ms. Puchala now resides in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cleary University in Howell, Michigan.
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The National Mediation Board (NMB) is an independent agency created by the Railway Labor Act, which governs labor management relations in the railroad and airline industries. To avoid serious disruptions to the Nation’s economy and protect the public interest, the Act imposes on carriers and their employees the duty of settling disputes through negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. The NMB, headed by three Presidential appointees, has as its chief statutory responsibilities: (1) mediation of collective bargaining disputes; (2) determination of employee representation for collective bargaining processes; and (3) administration of a grievance arbitration system.
Contact: NMB Public Information Line: 202-692-5050
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