Section 70 ILCS 3615/2.16 - Employee Protection(a) The Authority shall insure that every employee of the Authority or of a Service Board or transportation agency shall receive fair and equitable protection against actions of the Authority which shall not be less than those established pursuant to Section 13(c) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended (49 U.S.C. Sec. 1609(c)), and Section 405(b) of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, as amended (45 U.S.C. Sec. 565(b)), and as prescribed by the United States Secretary of Labor thereunder, at the time of the protective agreement or arbitration decision providing protection.(b) The Authority shall negotiate or arrange for the negotiation of such fair and equitable employee arrangements with the employees, through their accredited representatives authorized to act for them. If agreement cannot be reached on the terms of such protective arrangement, any party may submit any matter in dispute to arbitration. In such arbitration, each party shall have the right to select non-voting arbitration board members. The impartial arbitrator will be selected by the American Arbitration Association and appointed from a current listing of the membership of the National Academy of Arbitrators, upon request of any party. The impartial arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding on all parties. Each party shall pay an equal proportionate share of the impartial arbitrator's fees and expenses.(c) For purposes of Sections 2.15 through 2.19, "actions of the Authority" include its acquisition and operation of public transportation facilities, the execution of purchase of service agreements and grant contracts made under this Act and the coordination, reorganization, combining, leasing, merging of operations or the expansion or curtailment of public transportation service or facilities by the Authority, but does not include a failure or refusal to enter into a purchase of service agreement or grant contract. P.A. 91-357, eff. 7/29/1999.