End of an era
Carroll School of Management Professor of Business Law and Society David P. Twomey ’62, J.D.’68, a nationally recognized labor law expert who was appointed by six different United States presidents to a remarkable 10 Presidential Emergency Boards (PEB)—expert panels convened to resolve major national rail and airline industry disputes—recently retired from Boston College after 56 years on the faculty.
David Twomey
A labor arbitrator since 1974, Twomey has been selected by employers and unions to arbitrate more than 2,000 labor-management disputes in both the private and public sectors throughout the U.S. In July 2022, when President Biden named Twomey as one of three members of the PEB that helped secure a tentative agreement to avert a national railway strike, it marked his 10th presidential appointment—a span that began with President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
Under the Railway Labor Act, the president may exercise discretion to create a PEB when a labor dispute threatens to substantially interrupt interstate commerce to such a degree that it deprives a section of the country’s essential transportation service.
“David is a rare person in multiple respects: He is very accomplished at what he does, gives his all, cares deeply about the enormous responsibilities with which he is entrusted, and does it all with enormous grace and civility,” said Ira F. Jaffe, who chaired Twomey’s most recent PEB and served with him on another. “His arbitration work, his service on PEBs, and his teaching are all truly ‘callings.’ He commands the respect, admiration, and friendship of his colleagues and the parties whose disputes he helps to resolve.”
“David is a renowned labor relations author and a fine arbitrator,” said Elizabeth C. Wesman, who chaired Twomey’s ninth PEB in 2014. “Above all else, David is a generous scholar. When I asked to use his glossary of terms from the end of his book, Labor and Employment Law, to enhance the usefulness of the National Academy of Arbitrators’ website, he agreed without hesitation. I will miss him as a mentor and colleague.”
A member of the National Academy of Arbitrators, the American Arbitration Association, and the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, Twomey has arbitrated numerous labor-management contract disputes, including the CSX Transportation and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET); Norfolk Southern Railway and the BLET; CSX and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD); the Union Pacific Railroad and SMART–TD; and the National Association of Government Employees and Department of the Air Force.
Born and raised in Boston, Twomey—the son of Irish immigrants—graduated from Boston College High School in 1956, and then served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1958. In addition to degrees from the Carroll School and BC Law, he holds an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
His interest in labor-management relations was grounded in his stint as a “jobber” at a Wonder Bread factory where he performed a variety of tasks to earn BC tuition money, and while working for the building contractor who built McElroy Commons in the early 1960s. Both experiences contributed to his understanding of the effectiveness of unions, particularly in terms of higher wages, safer workplaces, and benefits for their members.
“During an arbitration, it was more important to listen and to understand each of the party’s issues and arguments than for me to pose questions,” said Twomey. “Let them tell their story and make their case, and always be gracious.”
“I wanted to show students how the law works, how to deal with an attorney, and how to be a good witness. I wanted them to enjoy my class, but I wanted them to understand the rigors and contested nature of law and the necessity for critical reading and thinking in all endeavors.”
The author of some 35 editions of widely used textbooks on labor, employment, and business law topics, Twomey has published articles in the American Business Law Journal, Labor Law Journal, Business Law Review, Best’s Review, Massachusetts Law Quarterly, and Florida Bar Journal. He is a member of both the Massachusetts and Florida Bars.
But Twomey did not neglect his scholarly duties at BC.
“My personal goal was to serve the needs of [my] students to the best of my ability,” he said. “I wanted to show students how the law works, how to deal with an attorney, and how to be a good witness. I wanted them to enjoy my class, but I wanted them to understand the rigors and contested nature of law and the necessity for critical reading and thinking in all endeavors.”
He also served BC beyond the classroom. In the early 1970s, amid concerns about lagging undergraduate management enrollment at BC, Twomey chaired a Student Recruitment Task Force, which invited Massachusetts high school guidance counselors to CSOM for a presentation on management education. It had a positive impact, and student interest in management education increased. Subsequently, he served for many years as a member of the University Undergraduate Admissions Enrollment Management Advisory Committee.
“David Twomey’s teaching to legions of BC undergraduates over the decades embodies ‘Ever to Excel.' He was as impactful on the lives of our students today as he was on day one at the Heights. ”
Twomey chaired the search committee that resulted in the appointment of John J. Neuhauser as Carroll School dean (1977-1999), and was a member of search committees for Law School Dean John Garvey (1999-2010) and current John and Linda Powers Family Dean of the Carroll School Andy Boynton.
Twomey served multiple terms over four decades as chair or a member of the Carroll School Education Policy Committee which, among many initiatives, launched the M.S. in Finance program. He also chaired the Business Law Department for 11 years and was a member of the CSOM Promotion and Tenure Committee for almost 30 years.
“David Twomey’s teaching to legions of BC undergraduates over the decades embodies ‘Ever to Excel,’” said Boynton. “He was as impactful on the lives of our students today as he was on day one at the Heights.”
Twomey cherishes his memories of BC, both as a student and faculty member, noting that he met his wife, Veronica Lynch, at the Heights and their children Erin ’95, David ’99, and Kerry ’02 are graduates.
“I am a product of the BC system. It was and is a wonderful and magnificent place; I couldn’t ask for a better life. How lucky can a person be to have had so many opportunities afforded to them?