FLRA INVITES CUSTOMERS TO COMMENT ON PROPOSED REVISIONS TO NEGOTIABILITY REGULATIONS
FLRA NEWS
FLRA NEWSSeptember 11, 1998 · PR 110-98
Contact: Patty Reilly
202-482-6500
FLRA INVITES CUSTOMERS TO COMMENT ON PROPOSED REVISIONS TO NEGOTIABILITY REGULATIONS
The Chair and the Members of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (the Authority) issued a
Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking
(63 FR 48130-48138) (
) to revise the regulations concerning negotiability proceedings. The purpose of the revised regulations is to expedite proceedings and facilitate dispute resolution.In addition, the Authority announced three meetings to be held across the country to hear the views of the FLRA's customers on these proposed regulations.
Major aspects of the revised regulations aimed at improving negotiability proceedings include: pre- and postfiling procedures and conferences designed to help the parties resolve their dispute without formal litigation and to narrow and clarify the issues that need to be litigated; revised processing procedures that will enable the Authority in appropriate instances to resolve all aspects of a dispute; and clarification of the responsibilities of each party. The proposed regulations are the result of an internal FLRA task force, focus groups, and written comments received as a result of an earlier Federal Register notice.
FLRA Chair Phyllis N. Segal urged customers to review and comment on the proposed regulations noting, "The revised Negotiability Regulations are part of an ongoing effort of the FLRA to deliver quality services to our customers. We are committed to making our processes more efficient and user friendly and the new Negotiability Regulations continue this important effort." The Authority previously revised its Representation Regulations in March 1996, and its Unfair Labor Practice Regulations in October 1997.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is an independent agency that administers the labor-management relations program for 1.9 million federal employees worldwide, 1.1 million of whom are exclusively represented in 2,200 bargaining units. The Authority is the three-member quasi-judicial component within the FLRA that adjudicates disputes arising under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, deciding appeals regarding unfair labor practices, exceptions to grievance arbitration awards and representation petitions, and the negotiability of collective bargaining agreement proposals.
Comments regarding the proposed regulations must be received on or before October 23, 1998 at the FLRA's Office of Case Control, located at 607 14th Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20424-0001. The Authority meetings will be held on October 6, 8, and 14, 1998 in Chicago, Oakland, and Washington D.C., respectively. In addition, the Chicago and Oakland meetings will be held in conjunction with morning meetings conducted by the FLRA's General Counsel on changes to that Office's proposed investigatory Unfair Labor Practices Regulations. The dates and times of the General Counsel's meetings were included in Press Release 108-98.
Specific information regarding the Authority's meetings appears below.
| Office | Location of Meeting | Date Time | Information / Meeting Registration |
| Chicago | Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Room 328 Chicago, IL | Oct. 6, 1998 1:00 p.m. | Philip T. Roberts Chicago Regional Office 55 West Monroe St., Suite 1150 Chicago, IL 60603-9727 Telephone:(312) 886-3465 X 20 Fax:(312) 866-5977 |
| Oakland | Oakland Federal Building 1301 Clay Street, North Tower, 2nd Floor, Conference Rooms A & B Oakland, CA | Oct. 8, 1998 1:00 p.m. | Lisa C. Vandenberg San Francisco Regional Office 901 Market Street, Suite 220 San Francisco, CA 94103-1791 Telephone:(415) 356-5002 x 18 Fax:(415) 356-5017 |
| OGC HQ, Washington, DC | 607 14th Street, NW 2nd Floor Agenda Room Washington, DC | Oct. 14, 1998 10:00 a.m. | Peter Constantine Office of Case Control 607 14th St., NW., Suite 210 Washington, DC 20424-0001 Telephone:(202) 482-6540 Fax:(202) 482-6635 |
Questions regarding the proposed Negotiability Regulations should be directed to Peter Constantine, Office of Case Control, at the Authority. Questions regarding the Negotiability Regulations meetings, including registration, should be directed to the individuals listed above.
Please note that under separate cover in Press Release 109-98, the FLRA's General Counsel issued Guidance on the "scope of bargaining" on negotiability matters.