The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) has announced that Peter J. Hurtgen will step down as director at the end of this year to rejoin the corporate law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Hurtgen helped mediate a settlement to the 2002 West Coast port lockout and the California supermarket strike and lockout this year. His chief of staff, Jack Toner, will serve as acting director until a replacement is confirmed by the Senate.
See "Hurtgen to Step Down as Federal Mediator", Nancy Cleeland, Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2004