Labor-Management Cooperation Program; Application Solicitation, 11012-11015 [05-4292]
Download as PDF
11012
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Notices
Environmental Innovation Symposium
to showcase environmental innovations
that can improve environmental results
in State programs. A second symposium
was held in 2003. (Information about
these events can be found at https://
www.epa.gov/innovation/
symposia.htm.) Evaluations from these
events, along with discussion with State
commissioners, indicate that States have
a strong interest in additional symposia
that allow them to share experiences
and results from innovative
environmental programs and policies.
While EPA will have participants at
the symposia, the primary goal of this
project is to identify and highlight
environmental innovations that can
help States learn about new ways to
achieve better environmental results. To
this end, the project should be designed
to:
—Identify and showcase successful,
innovative projects and programs that
have accomplished important
environmental results at the Federal,
state, and local levels;
—Facilitate information transfer so that
proven approaches can be used by
other States and federal programs to
achieve environmental results;
—Stimulate ideas for new innovative
initiatives and pilot projects;
—Enable discussion about specific
issues facing innovators, such as how
to replicate successful innovations on
a larger scale (e.g., from a pilot project
at one facility to a program for the
entire sector) or in other programs
(e.g., from use in the air program to
the water program), and how to
sustain innovations over time so that
projects continue evolving to reflect
new knowledge, experience, and/or
technology;
—Expand the network of State and
federal environmental practitioners
who are interested in applying and
advancing new approaches to
environmental protection.
The work will involve planning up to
two symposia over a four-year period
that bring together State and EPA
environmental practitioners to share
information and engage in a dialogue
about experiences and policy issues
related to innovative approaches.
Planning will be done by a Steering
Committee consisting of representatives
from the recipient, EPA and States. The
Steering Committee, which will have a
majority State membership, will assist
with analyzing environmental
innovations, developing symposia
agendas, identifying appropriate
speakers and presenters, and promoting
the event within their respective
organizations.
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:15 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
EPA is interested in supporting the
first symposia in late 2005, and a second
symposium approximately two years
later. In addition to organizing the
symposia, the recipient will compile all
information presented at the symposia
on a publicly available web site. These
resources will help extend the learning
that occurs at the symposia to other
State and EPA employees, as well as
other interested stakeholders.
For the full solicitation, please visit:
www.epa.gov/innovation/symposia.
Dated: February 18, 2005.
Elizabeth A. Shaw,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy
Innovation.
[FR Doc. 05–4261 Filed 3–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
FEDERAL MEDIATION AND
CONCILIATION SERVICE
Labor-Management Cooperation
Program; Application Solicitation
Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service.
AGENCY:
Request for Public Comment on
Draft Fiscal Year 2005, Program
Guidelines/Application Solicitation for
Labor-Management Committees.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service (FMCS) is
publishing the Draft Fiscal Year 2005
Program Guidelines/Application
Solicitation for the Labor-Management
Cooperation Program to inform the
public. The program is supported by
Federal funds authorized by the LaborManagement Cooperation Act of 1978,
subject to annual appropriations. This
solicitation contains a change in the
application process in an effort to
maximize participation under current
budget constraints. In the past,
applicants were required to submit
applications by a fixed date. In Fiscal
Year 2005, the date for application
submission will be open, contingent
upon fund availability. Applications
will be accepted for consideration after
May 15, 2005 and all funds will be
awarded by September 30, 2006.
Jane A. Lorber, Director,
Labor Management Grants Program,
FMCS 2100 K Street, NW., Washington,
DC 20427.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
A. Lorber, (202) 271–8868.
PO 00000
Frm 00078
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Jane
Labor-Management Cooperation
Program Application Solicitation for
Labor-Management Committees FY2005
A. Introduction
The following is the draft solicitation
for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 cycle of
the Labor-Management Cooperation
Program as it pertains to the support of
labor-management committees. These
guidelines represent the continuing
efforts of the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service to implement the
provisions of the Labor-Management
Cooperation Act of 1978, which was
initially implemented in FY81. The Act
authorizes FMCS to provide assistance
in the establishment and operation of
company/plant, area, public sector, and
industry-wide labor-management
committees which:
(A) Have been organized jointly by
employers and labor organizations
representing employees in that
company/plant, area, government
agency, or industry; and
(B) Are established for the purpose of
improving labor-management
relationships, job security, and
organizational effectiveness; enhancing
economic development; or involving
workers in decisions affecting their
working lives, including improving
communication with respect to subjects
of mutual interest and concern.
The Program Description and other
sections that follow, as well as a
separately published FMCS Financial
and Administrative Grants Manual,
make up the basic guidelines, criteria,
and program elements a potential
applicant for assistance under this
program must know in order to develop
an application for funding consideration
for either a company/plant, area-wide,
industry, or public sector labormanagement committee. Directions for
obtaining an application kit may be
found in Section H. A copy of the LaborManagement Cooperation Act of 1978,
included in the application kit, should
be reviewed in conjunction with this
solicitation.
B. Program Description
Objectives
The Labor-Management Cooperation
Act of 1978 identifies the following
seven general areas for which financial
assistance would be appropriate:
(1) To improve communication
between representatives of labor and
management;
(2) To provide workers and employers
with opportunities to study and explore
new and innovative joint approaches to
achieving organizational effectiveness;
(3) To assist workers and employers
in solving problems of mutual concern
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Notices
not susceptible to resolution within the
collective bargaining process;
(4) To study and explore ways of
eliminating potential problems which
reduce the competitiveness and inhibit
the economic development of the
company/plant, area, or industry;
(5) To enhance the involvement of
workers in making decisions that affect
their working lives;
(6) To expand and improve working
relationships between workers and
managers; and
(7) To encourage free collective
bargaining by establishing continuing
mechanisms for communication
between employers and their employees
through Federal assistance in the
formation and operation of labormanagement committees.
The primary objective of this program
is to encourage and support the
establishment and operation of joint
labor-management committees to carry
out specific objectives that meet the
aforementioned general criteria. The
term ‘‘labor’’ refers to employees
represented by a labor organization and
covered by a formal collective
bargaining agreement. These committees
may be found at either the plant
(company), area, industry, or public
sector levels.
A plant or company committee is
generally characterized as restricted to
one or more organizational or
productive units operated by a single
employer. An area committee is
generally composed of multiple
employers of diverse industries as well
as multiple labor unions operating
within and focusing upon a particular
city, county, contiguous multicounty, or
statewide jurisdiction.
An industry committee generally
consists of a collection product or
service in the private sector on a local,
state, regional, or nationwide level. A
public sector committee consists of
government employees and mangers in
one or more units of a local or state
government, managers and employees of
public institutions of higher education,
or of employees and managers of public
elementary and secondary schools.
Those employees must be covered by a
formal collective bargaining agreement
or other enforceable labor-management
agreement. In deciding whether an
application is for an area or industry
committee, consideration should be
given to the above definitions as well as
to the focus of the committee.
In FY 2005, competition will be open
to company/plant, area, private
industry, and public sector committees.
Special consideration will be given to
committee applications involving
innovative or unique efforts. All
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:15 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
application budget requests should
focus directly on supporting the
committee. Applicants should avoid
seeking funds for activities that are
clearly available under other Federal
programs (e.g., job training, mediation of
contract disputes, etc.)
Required Program Elements
1. Problem Statement—The
application should have numbered
pages and discuss in detail what
specific problem(s) face the company/
plant, area, government, or industry and
its workforce that will be addressed by
the committee. Applicants must
document the problem(s) using as much
relevant data as possible and discuss the
full range of impacts these problem(s)
could have or are having on the
company/plant, government, area, or
industry. An industrial or economic
profile of the area and workforce might
prove useful in explaining the
problem(s). This section basically
discusses WHY the effort is needed.
2. Results or Benefits Expected—By
using specific goals and objectives, the
application must discuss in detail
WHAT the labor-management
committee will accomplish during the
life of the grant. Applicants that promise
to provide objectives after a grant is
awarded will receive little or no credit
in this area. While a goal of ‘‘improving
communication between employers and
employees’’ may suffice as one over-all
goal of a project, the objectives must,
whenever possible, be expressed in
specific and measurable terms.
Applicants should focus on the
outcome, impacts or changes that the
committee’s efforts will have. Existing
committees should focus on expansion
efforts/results expected from FMCS
funding. The goals, objectives, and
projected impacted will become the
foundation for future monitoring and
evaluation efforts of the grantee, as well
as the FMCS grants program.
3. Approach—This section of the
application specifies HOW the goals and
objectives will be accomplished. At a
minimum, the following elements must
be included in all grant applications:
(a) A discussion of the strategy the
committee will employ to accomplish
its goals and objectives;
(b) A listing, by name and title, of all
existing or proposed members of the
labor-management committee. The
application should also offer a rationale
for the selection of the committee
members (e.g., members represent 70%
of the area or company/plant
workforce).
(c) A discussion of the number, type,
and role of all committee staff persons.
Include proposed position descriptions
PO 00000
Frm 00079
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
11013
for all staff that will have to be hired as
well as resumes for staff already on
board; noting, that grant funds may not
be used to pay for exisiting employees;
and assurance that grant funds will not
be used to pay for existing employees;
(d) In addressing the proposed
approach, applicants must also present
their justification as to why Federal
funds are needed to implement the
proposed approach;
(e) A statement of how often the
committee will meet (we require
meetings at least every other month) as
well as any plans to form subordinate
committees for particular purposes; and
(f) For applications from existing
committees, a discussion of past efforts
and accomplishments and how they
would integrate with the proposed
expanded effort.
4. Major Milestones—This section
must include an implementation plan
that indicates what major steps,
operating activities, and objectives will
be accomplished as well as a timetable
for WHEN they will be finished. A
milestone chart must be included that
indicates what specific accomplishment
(process and impact) will be completed
by month over the life of the grant using
‘‘month one’’ as the start date. The
accomplishment of these tasks and
objectives, as well as problems and
delays therein, will serve as the basis for
quarterly progress reports to FMCS.
(5) Evaluation—Applicants must
provide for either an external evaluation
or an internal assessment of the project’s
success in meeting its goals and
objectives. An evaluation plan must be
developed which briefly discusses what
basic questions or issues the assessment
will examine and what baseline data the
committee staff already has or will
gather for the assessment. This section
should be written with the application’s
own goals and objectives clearly in
mind and the impacts or changes that
the effort is expected to cause.
6. Letters of Commitment—
Applications must include current
letters of commitment from all proposed
or existing committee participants and
chairpersons. These letters should
indicate that the participants support
the application and will attend
scheduled committee meetings. A
blanket letter signed by a committee
chairperson or other official on behalf of
all members is not acceptable. We
encourage the use of individual letters
submitted on company or union
letterhead represented by the
individual. The letters should match the
names provided under Section 3(b).
7. Other Requirements—Applicants
are also responsible for the following:
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
11014
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Notices
(a) The submission of data indicating
approximately how many employees
will be covered or represented through
the labor-management committee;
(b) From existing committees, a copy
of the existing staffing levels, a copy of
the by-laws (if any), a breakout of
annual operating costs and
identification of all sources and levels of
current financial support;
(c) A detailed budget narrative based
on policies and procedures contained in
the FMCS Financial and administrative
Grants Manual;
(d) An assurance that the labormanagement committee will not
interfere with any collective bargaining
agreements; and
(e) An assurance that committee
meetings will be held at least every
other month and that written minutes of
all committee meetings will be prepared
and made available to FMCS.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used in
the scoring and selection of applications
for award:
(1) The extent to which the
application has clearly identified the
problems and justified the needs that
the proposed project will address.
(2) The degree to which appropriate
and measurable goals and objectives
have been developed to address the
problems/needs of the applicant.
(3) The feasibility of the approach
proposed to attain the goals and
objectives of the project and the
perceived likelihood of accomplishing
the intended project results. This
section will also address the degree of
innovativeness or uniqueness of the
proposed effort.
(4) The appropriateness of committee
membership and the degree of
commitment of these individuals to the
goals of the application as indicated in
the letters of support.
(5) The feasibility and thoroughness
of the implementation plan in
specifying major milestones and target
dates.
(6) The cost effectiveness and fiscal
soundness of the application’s budget
request, as well as the application’s
feasibility vis-a-vis its goals and
approach.
(7) The overall feasibility of the
proposed project in light of all of the
information presented for consideration;
and
(8) The value to the government of the
application in light of the overall
objectives of the Labor-Management
Cooperation Act of 1978. This includes
such factors as innovativeness, site
location, cost, and other qualities that
impact upon an applicant’s value in
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:15 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
encouraging the labor-management
committee concept.
C. Eligibility
Eligible grantees include state and
local units of government, labormanagement committees (or a labor
union, management association, or
company on behalf of a committee that
will be created through the grant), and
certain third-party private non-profit
entities on behalf of one or more
committees to be created through the
grant. Federal government agencies and
their employees are not eligible.
Third-party private, non-profit
entities that can document that a major
purpose or function of their
organization is the improvement of
labor relations are eligible to apply.
However, all funding must be directed
to the function of the labor-management
committee, and all requirements under
Part B must be followed. Applications
from third-party entities must document
particularly strong support and
participation from all labor and
management parties with whom the
applicant will be working. Applications
from third-parties which do not directly
support the operation of a new or
expanded committee will not be
deemed eligible, nor will applications
signed by entities such as law firms or
other third-parties failing to meet the
above criteria.
Successful grantees will be bound by
OMB Circular 110 i.e. ‘‘contractors that
develop or draft specifications,
requirements, statements of work,
invitations for bids and/or requests for
proposals shall be excluded (emphasis
added from competing for such
procurements.
Applicants who received funding
under this program in the last 6 years
for committee operations are not eligible
to re-apply. The only exception will be
made for grantees that seek funds on
behalf of an entirely different committee
whose efforts are totally outside of the
scope of the original grant.
Allocations
The FY2005 appropriation for this
program is $1,488,000 of which at least
$1,000,000 will be available
competitively for new applicants.
Specific funding levels will not be
established for each type of committee.
The review process will be conducted in
such a manner that when possible and
where merited, two awards will be
made in each category (company/plant,
industry, public sector, and area)
depending upon applications submitted.
After these applications are considered
to award, the remaining applications
PO 00000
Frm 00080
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
will be considered according to merit
without regard to category.
In addition, to the competitive
process identified in the preceding
paragraph, FMCS will set aside a sum
not to exceed thirty percent of its nonreserved appropriation to be awarded on
a non-competitive basis. These funds
will be used only to support aplications
that have been solicited by the Director
of the Service and are not subject to the
dollar range noted in Section E. All
funds returned to FMCS from a
competitive grant award may be
awarded on a non-competitive basis in
accordance with budgetary
requirements.
FMCS reserves the right to retain up
to five percent of the FY2005
appropriation to contract for program
support purposes (such as evaluation)
other than administration.
E. Dollar Range and Length of Grants
Awards to expand existing or
establish new labor-management
committees will be for a period of up to
18 months. If successful progress is
made during this initial budget period
and all grant funds are not obligated
within the specified period, these grants
may be extended for up to six months.
The dollar range of awards is as follows:
—Up to $65,000 over a period of up to
18 months to company/plant
committees or single department
public sector applicants;
—Up to $125,000 per 18-month period
for area, industry, and multidepartment public sector committee
applicants.
Applicants are reminded that these
figures represent maximum Federal
funds only. If total costs to accomplish
the objectives of the application exceed
the maximum allowable Federal
funding level and its required grantee
match, applicants may supplement
these funds through voluntary
contributions from other sources.
Applicants are also strongly encouraged
to consult with their local or regional
FMCS field office to determine what
kinds of training may be available at no
cost before budgeting for such training
in their appilcations. A list of our field
leadership team and their phone
numbers is included in the application
kit.
F. Cash Match Requirements and Cost
Allowability
All applicants must provide at least
10 percent of the total allowable project
costs in cash. Matching funds may come
from state or local government sources
or private sector contributions, but may
generally not include other Federal
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Notices
funds. Funds generated by grantsuppported efforts are considered
‘‘project income,’’ and may not be used
for matching purposes.
It is the policy of this program to
reject all requests for indirect or
overhead costs as well as ‘‘in-kind’’
match contributions. In addition, grant
funds must not be used to supplant
private or local/state government funds
currently spent for committee purposes.
Funding requests from existing
committees should focus entirely on the
costs associated with the expansion
efforts. Also, under no circumstances
may business or labor officials
participating on a labor-management
committee be compensated out of grant
funds for time spent at committee
meetings or time spent in committee
training sessions. Applicants generally
will not be allowed to claim all or a
portion of existing full-time staff as an
expense or match contribution. For a
more complete discussion of cost
allowability, applicants are encouraged
to consult the FY2005 FMCS Financial
and Administrative Grants Manual,
which will be included in the
application kit.
G. Application Submission and Review
Process
The Application for Federal
Assistance (SF–424) form must be
signed by both a labor and management
representative. In lieu of signing the SF–
424 form, representatives may be type
their name, title, and organization on
plain bond paper with a signature line
signed and dated, in accordance with
block 18 of the SF–424 form. We will
accept applications beginning May 15,
2005 and continue to do so until all FY
2005 grant funds have been obligated,
with awards being made by September
30, 2006. While proposals may be
accepted at any time between May 15,
2005 and September 30, 2006, proposals
received late in the cycle have a greater
risk of not being funded due to
unavailability of funds. Offerors are
highly advised to contact the grants
director prior to committing any
resources to the preparation of a
proposal. An original application
containing numbered pages, plus three
copies, should be addressed to the
Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service, Labor-Management Grants
Program, 2100 K Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20427. FMCS will not
consider videotaped submissions or
video attachments to submissions.
FMCS will confirm receipt of all
applications within 10 days thereof.
All eligible applications will be
reviewed and scored preliminarily by
one or more Grant Review Boards. The
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:15 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
Board(s) will recommend selected
applications for rejection or further
funding consideration. The Director,
Labor-Management Grants Program, will
finalize the scoring and selection
process. The individual listed as contact
person in Item 6 on the application form
will generally be the only person with
whom FMCS will communicate during
the application review process. Please
be sure that person is available once the
application has been submitted.
All FY2005 grant applicants will be
notified of results and all grant awards
will be made September 30, 2006.
Applications that fail to adhere to
eligibility or other major requirements
will be administratively rejected by the
Director, Labor-Management Grants
Program.
H. Contact
Individuals wishing to apply for
funding under this program should
contact the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service as soon as possible
to obtain an application kit. Please
consult the FMCS Web site (https://
www.fmcs.gov) to download forms and
information.
These kits and additional information
or clarification can be obtained free of
charge by contacting the Federal
Mediation and Conciliation Service,
Labor-Management Grants Program,
2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC
20427 at (202) 606–8181, (202) 271–
8868 or jlorber@fmcs.gov.
Fran Leonard,
Director, Budget and Finance, Federal
Mediation and Conciliation Service.
[FR Doc. 05–4292 Filed 3–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6732–01–M
11015
Department on topics including Clinical Data
Standards, the Consolidated Health
Informatics Initiative, and the HIPAA Privacy
Rule compliance. In the afternoon the
Committee will hear an update on the
National Health Information Infrastructure
and will discuss various materials prepared
by NCVHS Subcommittees.
On the second day the Committee will hear
an updated from the Board of Scientific
Counselors at the National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS) and reports on two HHS
initiatives in geocoding. The Committee with
also discuss plans for its annual report to
Congress and there will be reports from the
Subcommittees and a discussion of agendas
for future Committee meetings.
The times shown above are for the full
committee meeting. Subcommittee breakout
sessions are scheduled for late in the
afternoon of the first day and in the morning
prior to the full Committee meeting on the
second day. Agendas for these breakout
sessions will be posted on the NCVHS Web
site (URL below) when available.
Contact Person for More Information:
Substantive program information as well as
summaries of meetings and a roster of
committee members may be obtained from
Marjorie S. Greenberg, Executive Secretary,
NCVHS, National Center for Health Statistics,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
3311 Toledo Road, Room 2402, Hyattsville,
Maryland 20782, telephone (301) 458–4245.
Information also is available on the NCVHS
home page of the HHS Web site: https://
www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/, where further
information including an agenda will be
posted when available.
Should you require reasonable
accommodation, please contact the CDC
Office of Equal Employment Opportunity on
(301) 458–4EEO (4336) as soon as possible.
Dated: March 1, 2005.
James Scanlon,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science
and Data Policy, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 05–4311 Filed 3–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4151–05–M
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Committee on Vital and Health
Statistics: Meeting
Pursuant to the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS)
announces the following advisory
committee meeting.
Name: National Committee on Vital and
Health Statistics (NCVHS).
Time and Date: March 3, 2005, 9 a.m.–3
p.m., March 4, 2005, 10 a.m.–3:15 p.m.
Place: Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200
Independence Avenue SW., Room 505A,
Washington, DC 20201.
Status: Open.
Purpose: At this meeting the Committee
will hear presentations and hold discussions
on several health data policy topics. On the
morning of the first day the Committee will
hear updates and status reports from the
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
[Funding Opportunity Number: RFA 05045]
Academic Partners Public Health
Training Grant; Notice of Availability of
Funds—Amendment
A notice announcing the availability
of fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for a grant
to: (a) provide trainees the opportunity
to learn about broad, cross-cutting
public health policy and program
development at the Federal, state and
local government level and (b) make
progress toward achieving the
prevention objectives of Healthy People
2010 was published in the Federal
E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM
07MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 43 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11012-11015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4292]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE
Labor-Management Cooperation Program; Application Solicitation
AGENCY: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
ACTION: Request for Public Comment on Draft Fiscal Year 2005, Program
Guidelines/Application Solicitation for Labor-Management Committees.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) is
publishing the Draft Fiscal Year 2005 Program Guidelines/Application
Solicitation for the Labor-Management Cooperation Program to inform the
public. The program is supported by Federal funds authorized by the
Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978, subject to annual
appropriations. This solicitation contains a change in the application
process in an effort to maximize participation under current budget
constraints. In the past, applicants were required to submit
applications by a fixed date. In Fiscal Year 2005, the date for
application submission will be open, contingent upon fund availability.
Applications will be accepted for consideration after May 15, 2005 and
all funds will be awarded by September 30, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Jane A. Lorber, Director, Labor Management Grants Program,
FMCS 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane A. Lorber, (202) 271-8868.
Labor-Management Cooperation Program Application Solicitation for
Labor-Management Committees FY2005
A. Introduction
The following is the draft solicitation for the Fiscal Year (FY)
2005 cycle of the Labor-Management Cooperation Program as it pertains
to the support of labor-management committees. These guidelines
represent the continuing efforts of the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service to implement the provisions of the Labor-
Management Cooperation Act of 1978, which was initially implemented in
FY81. The Act authorizes FMCS to provide assistance in the
establishment and operation of company/plant, area, public sector, and
industry-wide labor-management committees which:
(A) Have been organized jointly by employers and labor
organizations representing employees in that company/plant, area,
government agency, or industry; and
(B) Are established for the purpose of improving labor-management
relationships, job security, and organizational effectiveness;
enhancing economic development; or involving workers in decisions
affecting their working lives, including improving communication with
respect to subjects of mutual interest and concern.
The Program Description and other sections that follow, as well as
a separately published FMCS Financial and Administrative Grants Manual,
make up the basic guidelines, criteria, and program elements a
potential applicant for assistance under this program must know in
order to develop an application for funding consideration for either a
company/plant, area-wide, industry, or public sector labor-management
committee. Directions for obtaining an application kit may be found in
Section H. A copy of the Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978,
included in the application kit, should be reviewed in conjunction with
this solicitation.
B. Program Description
Objectives
The Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978 identifies the
following seven general areas for which financial assistance would be
appropriate:
(1) To improve communication between representatives of labor and
management;
(2) To provide workers and employers with opportunities to study
and explore new and innovative joint approaches to achieving
organizational effectiveness;
(3) To assist workers and employers in solving problems of mutual
concern
[[Page 11013]]
not susceptible to resolution within the collective bargaining process;
(4) To study and explore ways of eliminating potential problems
which reduce the competitiveness and inhibit the economic development
of the company/plant, area, or industry;
(5) To enhance the involvement of workers in making decisions that
affect their working lives;
(6) To expand and improve working relationships between workers and
managers; and
(7) To encourage free collective bargaining by establishing
continuing mechanisms for communication between employers and their
employees through Federal assistance in the formation and operation of
labor-management committees.
The primary objective of this program is to encourage and support
the establishment and operation of joint labor-management committees to
carry out specific objectives that meet the aforementioned general
criteria. The term ``labor'' refers to employees represented by a labor
organization and covered by a formal collective bargaining agreement.
These committees may be found at either the plant (company), area,
industry, or public sector levels.
A plant or company committee is generally characterized as
restricted to one or more organizational or productive units operated
by a single employer. An area committee is generally composed of
multiple employers of diverse industries as well as multiple labor
unions operating within and focusing upon a particular city, county,
contiguous multicounty, or statewide jurisdiction.
An industry committee generally consists of a collection product or
service in the private sector on a local, state, regional, or
nationwide level. A public sector committee consists of government
employees and mangers in one or more units of a local or state
government, managers and employees of public institutions of higher
education, or of employees and managers of public elementary and
secondary schools. Those employees must be covered by a formal
collective bargaining agreement or other enforceable labor-management
agreement. In deciding whether an application is for an area or
industry committee, consideration should be given to the above
definitions as well as to the focus of the committee.
In FY 2005, competition will be open to company/plant, area,
private industry, and public sector committees. Special consideration
will be given to committee applications involving innovative or unique
efforts. All application budget requests should focus directly on
supporting the committee. Applicants should avoid seeking funds for
activities that are clearly available under other Federal programs
(e.g., job training, mediation of contract disputes, etc.)
Required Program Elements
1. Problem Statement--The application should have numbered pages
and discuss in detail what specific problem(s) face the company/plant,
area, government, or industry and its workforce that will be addressed
by the committee. Applicants must document the problem(s) using as much
relevant data as possible and discuss the full range of impacts these
problem(s) could have or are having on the company/plant, government,
area, or industry. An industrial or economic profile of the area and
workforce might prove useful in explaining the problem(s). This section
basically discusses WHY the effort is needed.
2. Results or Benefits Expected--By using specific goals and
objectives, the application must discuss in detail WHAT the labor-
management committee will accomplish during the life of the grant.
Applicants that promise to provide objectives after a grant is awarded
will receive little or no credit in this area. While a goal of
``improving communication between employers and employees'' may suffice
as one over-all goal of a project, the objectives must, whenever
possible, be expressed in specific and measurable terms. Applicants
should focus on the outcome, impacts or changes that the committee's
efforts will have. Existing committees should focus on expansion
efforts/results expected from FMCS funding. The goals, objectives, and
projected impacted will become the foundation for future monitoring and
evaluation efforts of the grantee, as well as the FMCS grants program.
3. Approach--This section of the application specifies HOW the
goals and objectives will be accomplished. At a minimum, the following
elements must be included in all grant applications:
(a) A discussion of the strategy the committee will employ to
accomplish its goals and objectives;
(b) A listing, by name and title, of all existing or proposed
members of the labor-management committee. The application should also
offer a rationale for the selection of the committee members (e.g.,
members represent 70% of the area or company/plant workforce).
(c) A discussion of the number, type, and role of all committee
staff persons. Include proposed position descriptions for all staff
that will have to be hired as well as resumes for staff already on
board; noting, that grant funds may not be used to pay for exisiting
employees; and assurance that grant funds will not be used to pay for
existing employees;
(d) In addressing the proposed approach, applicants must also
present their justification as to why Federal funds are needed to
implement the proposed approach;
(e) A statement of how often the committee will meet (we require
meetings at least every other month) as well as any plans to form
subordinate committees for particular purposes; and
(f) For applications from existing committees, a discussion of past
efforts and accomplishments and how they would integrate with the
proposed expanded effort.
4. Major Milestones--This section must include an implementation
plan that indicates what major steps, operating activities, and
objectives will be accomplished as well as a timetable for WHEN they
will be finished. A milestone chart must be included that indicates
what specific accomplishment (process and impact) will be completed by
month over the life of the grant using ``month one'' as the start date.
The accomplishment of these tasks and objectives, as well as problems
and delays therein, will serve as the basis for quarterly progress
reports to FMCS.
(5) Evaluation--Applicants must provide for either an external
evaluation or an internal assessment of the project's success in
meeting its goals and objectives. An evaluation plan must be developed
which briefly discusses what basic questions or issues the assessment
will examine and what baseline data the committee staff already has or
will gather for the assessment. This section should be written with the
application's own goals and objectives clearly in mind and the impacts
or changes that the effort is expected to cause.
6. Letters of Commitment--Applications must include current letters
of commitment from all proposed or existing committee participants and
chairpersons. These letters should indicate that the participants
support the application and will attend scheduled committee meetings. A
blanket letter signed by a committee chairperson or other official on
behalf of all members is not acceptable. We encourage the use of
individual letters submitted on company or union letterhead represented
by the individual. The letters should match the names provided under
Section 3(b).
7. Other Requirements--Applicants are also responsible for the
following:
[[Page 11014]]
(a) The submission of data indicating approximately how many
employees will be covered or represented through the labor-management
committee;
(b) From existing committees, a copy of the existing staffing
levels, a copy of the by-laws (if any), a breakout of annual operating
costs and identification of all sources and levels of current financial
support;
(c) A detailed budget narrative based on policies and procedures
contained in the FMCS Financial and administrative Grants Manual;
(d) An assurance that the labor-management committee will not
interfere with any collective bargaining agreements; and
(e) An assurance that committee meetings will be held at least
every other month and that written minutes of all committee meetings
will be prepared and made available to FMCS.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used in the scoring and selection of
applications for award:
(1) The extent to which the application has clearly identified the
problems and justified the needs that the proposed project will
address.
(2) The degree to which appropriate and measurable goals and
objectives have been developed to address the problems/needs of the
applicant.
(3) The feasibility of the approach proposed to attain the goals
and objectives of the project and the perceived likelihood of
accomplishing the intended project results. This section will also
address the degree of innovativeness or uniqueness of the proposed
effort.
(4) The appropriateness of committee membership and the degree of
commitment of these individuals to the goals of the application as
indicated in the letters of support.
(5) The feasibility and thoroughness of the implementation plan in
specifying major milestones and target dates.
(6) The cost effectiveness and fiscal soundness of the
application's budget request, as well as the application's feasibility
vis-a-vis its goals and approach.
(7) The overall feasibility of the proposed project in light of all
of the information presented for consideration; and
(8) The value to the government of the application in light of the
overall objectives of the Labor-Management Cooperation Act of 1978.
This includes such factors as innovativeness, site location, cost, and
other qualities that impact upon an applicant's value in encouraging
the labor-management committee concept.
C. Eligibility
Eligible grantees include state and local units of government,
labor-management committees (or a labor union, management association,
or company on behalf of a committee that will be created through the
grant), and certain third-party private non-profit entities on behalf
of one or more committees to be created through the grant. Federal
government agencies and their employees are not eligible.
Third-party private, non-profit entities that can document that a
major purpose or function of their organization is the improvement of
labor relations are eligible to apply. However, all funding must be
directed to the function of the labor-management committee, and all
requirements under Part B must be followed. Applications from third-
party entities must document particularly strong support and
participation from all labor and management parties with whom the
applicant will be working. Applications from third-parties which do not
directly support the operation of a new or expanded committee will not
be deemed eligible, nor will applications signed by entities such as
law firms or other third-parties failing to meet the above criteria.
Successful grantees will be bound by OMB Circular 110 i.e.
``contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements,
statements of work, invitations for bids and/or requests for proposals
shall be excluded (emphasis added from competing for such procurements.
Applicants who received funding under this program in the last 6
years for committee operations are not eligible to re-apply. The only
exception will be made for grantees that seek funds on behalf of an
entirely different committee whose efforts are totally outside of the
scope of the original grant.
Allocations
The FY2005 appropriation for this program is $1,488,000 of which at
least $1,000,000 will be available competitively for new applicants.
Specific funding levels will not be established for each type of
committee. The review process will be conducted in such a manner that
when possible and where merited, two awards will be made in each
category (company/plant, industry, public sector, and area) depending
upon applications submitted. After these applications are considered to
award, the remaining applications will be considered according to merit
without regard to category.
In addition, to the competitive process identified in the preceding
paragraph, FMCS will set aside a sum not to exceed thirty percent of
its non-reserved appropriation to be awarded on a non-competitive
basis. These funds will be used only to support aplications that have
been solicited by the Director of the Service and are not subject to
the dollar range noted in Section E. All funds returned to FMCS from a
competitive grant award may be awarded on a non-competitive basis in
accordance with budgetary requirements.
FMCS reserves the right to retain up to five percent of the FY2005
appropriation to contract for program support purposes (such as
evaluation) other than administration.
E. Dollar Range and Length of Grants
Awards to expand existing or establish new labor-management
committees will be for a period of up to 18 months. If successful
progress is made during this initial budget period and all grant funds
are not obligated within the specified period, these grants may be
extended for up to six months. The dollar range of awards is as
follows:
--Up to $65,000 over a period of up to 18 months to company/plant
committees or single department public sector applicants;
--Up to $125,000 per 18-month period for area, industry, and multi-
department public sector committee applicants.
Applicants are reminded that these figures represent maximum
Federal funds only. If total costs to accomplish the objectives of the
application exceed the maximum allowable Federal funding level and its
required grantee match, applicants may supplement these funds through
voluntary contributions from other sources. Applicants are also
strongly encouraged to consult with their local or regional FMCS field
office to determine what kinds of training may be available at no cost
before budgeting for such training in their appilcations. A list of our
field leadership team and their phone numbers is included in the
application kit.
F. Cash Match Requirements and Cost Allowability
All applicants must provide at least 10 percent of the total
allowable project costs in cash. Matching funds may come from state or
local government sources or private sector contributions, but may
generally not include other Federal
[[Page 11015]]
funds. Funds generated by grant-suppported efforts are considered
``project income,'' and may not be used for matching purposes.
It is the policy of this program to reject all requests for
indirect or overhead costs as well as ``in-kind'' match contributions.
In addition, grant funds must not be used to supplant private or local/
state government funds currently spent for committee purposes. Funding
requests from existing committees should focus entirely on the costs
associated with the expansion efforts. Also, under no circumstances may
business or labor officials participating on a labor-management
committee be compensated out of grant funds for time spent at committee
meetings or time spent in committee training sessions. Applicants
generally will not be allowed to claim all or a portion of existing
full-time staff as an expense or match contribution. For a more
complete discussion of cost allowability, applicants are encouraged to
consult the FY2005 FMCS Financial and Administrative Grants Manual,
which will be included in the application kit.
G. Application Submission and Review Process
The Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) form must be signed
by both a labor and management representative. In lieu of signing the
SF-424 form, representatives may be type their name, title, and
organization on plain bond paper with a signature line signed and
dated, in accordance with block 18 of the SF-424 form. We will accept
applications beginning May 15, 2005 and continue to do so until all FY
2005 grant funds have been obligated, with awards being made by
September 30, 2006. While proposals may be accepted at any time between
May 15, 2005 and September 30, 2006, proposals received late in the
cycle have a greater risk of not being funded due to unavailability of
funds. Offerors are highly advised to contact the grants director prior
to committing any resources to the preparation of a proposal. An
original application containing numbered pages, plus three copies,
should be addressed to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service,
Labor-Management Grants Program, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC
20427. FMCS will not consider videotaped submissions or video
attachments to submissions. FMCS will confirm receipt of all
applications within 10 days thereof.
All eligible applications will be reviewed and scored preliminarily
by one or more Grant Review Boards. The Board(s) will recommend
selected applications for rejection or further funding consideration.
The Director, Labor-Management Grants Program, will finalize the
scoring and selection process. The individual listed as contact person
in Item 6 on the application form will generally be the only person
with whom FMCS will communicate during the application review process.
Please be sure that person is available once the application has been
submitted.
All FY2005 grant applicants will be notified of results and all
grant awards will be made September 30, 2006. Applications that fail to
adhere to eligibility or other major requirements will be
administratively rejected by the Director, Labor-Management Grants
Program.
H. Contact
Individuals wishing to apply for funding under this program should
contact the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as soon as
possible to obtain an application kit. Please consult the FMCS Web site
(https://www.fmcs.gov) to download forms and information.
These kits and additional information or clarification can be
obtained free of charge by contacting the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service, Labor-Management Grants Program, 2100 K Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20427 at (202) 606-8181, (202) 271-8868 or
jlorber@fmcs.gov.
Fran Leonard,
Director, Budget and Finance, Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-4292 Filed 3-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6732-01-M