Book Description

The Federal Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent administrative federal agency created by Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (also known as the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute) (the Statute). Pub. L. 95-454, 5 U.S.C. §7101 et seq. The Statute allows certain non-postal federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their choice in decisions affecting their working lives. The Postal Reorganization Act (Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970) governs labor-management relations in the Postal Service. The Authority is a quasi-judicial body with three full-time Members who are appointed for five-year terms by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. One Member is appointed by the President to serve as Chairman of the Authority and as the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the FLRA. The Chairman also chairs the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board. The Authority adjudicates unfair labor practices disputes, issues raised by representation petitions, exceptions to grievance arbitration awards, and resolves negotiability disputesraised by the parties during collective bargaining. Consistent with its statutory charge to provide leadership in establishing policies and guidance to participants in the Federal labor-management relations program, the Authority also assists Federal agencies and unions in understanding their rights and responsibilities under the Statute through statutory training of parties. Publishing decisions in bound volumes is yet another way in which the FLRA makes Authority case law available to its customers. Authority decisions, decisions of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, and decisions of the Office of Administrative Law Judges are also available – and searchable – soon after issuance on the FLRA’s decisions page at: www.flra.gov/decisions. As the FLRA’s website provides current, up-to-date access to decisions, and the FLRA continues to publish decisions in bound volumes, it no longer issues Reports of Case Decisions.