Mike Thompson: “Once you get down to it, the issue has to do with two situations, as I see it. One has to do with disputes involving…”

“Once you get down to it, the issue has to do with two situations, as I see it. One has to do with disputes involving collective bargaining agreements and what you do about that. There are issues as to matters somewhat minor, if not frivolous. Some matters have taken years to resolve--whether or not the annual company picnic was called off and things of that nature. On the other hand, there are other issues that may be part of a collective bargaining agreement that might limit, for example, the authority to transfer someone to a border where that was needed. Unless there is a national emergency situation, the President or the Secretary should not be limited to situations that have already become emergencies. They should be proactive and preventive. That is one category of issues. I could see why we might have the status quo with regard to the run-of-the-mill kind of collective bargaining issues we have, limit the Secretary's flexibility even with regard to those matters, as long as with regard to the matters that really mattered, the President had such a waiver or a certain amount of discretion in that area.”