Federal Labor Relations Authority March 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) revises portions of its regulations regarding unfair labor practice (ULP) proceedings. The purpose of the revisions is to restore the Office of the General Counsel's (OGC) role in facilitating the resolution of disputes and in providing training and educating the FLRA's customers about their rights and responsibilities under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (Statute). The revisions also clarify certain administrative matters relating to the filing and investigation of ULP charges. These revisions reestablish the OGC's leadership role in providing guidance on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques to union and agency representatives to strengthen labor-management relationships that will aid in resolving disputes short of litigation. These amended regulations are also consistent with the purposes underlying Executive Order 13522 (EO 13522) on Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services, issued on December 9, 2009 by President Obama. EO 13522 provides a platform from which a cooperative and productive form of labor-management relations throughout the executive branch of the Federal government will be established. The FLRA will play a prominent role in providing services, i.e., training; materials and guidances; and facilitation, which are needed to accomplish the objectives of EO 13522. With renewed attention to customer service, the OGC will use its expertise to foster successful labor-management relations through the training of union representatives and agency personnel in dispute resolution and cooperative methods of labor-management relations. Implementation of the regulatory changes will also enhance the purposes and policies of the Statute by promoting the resolution of disputes at an early stage, thereby preventing ULPs and/or reducing the need to file ULP charges, which will lower costs to the public.