DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS NORTHERN IDAHO AGENCY LAPWAI, IDAHO and LOCAL 265, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

United States of America

BEFORE THE FEDERAL SERVICE IMPASSES PANEL

In the Matter of )

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS

NORTHERN IDAHO AGENCY

LAPWAI, IDAHO

and

LOCAL 265, NATIONAL

FEDERATION OF FEDERAL

EMPLOYEES

Case No. 90 FSIP 11

DECISION AND ORDER

Local 265, National Federation of Federal Employees (Union), filed a request for assistance with the Federal Service Impasses Panel (Panel) to consider a negotiation impasse under section 7119 of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (Statute) between it and the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northern Idaho Agency, Lapwai, Idaho (Employer).

The Panel determined that the impasse should be resolved pursuant to written submissions from the parties with the Panel to take whatever action it deemed appropriate to resolve the impasse. Submissions were made pursuant to these procedures and the Panel has considered the entire record

BACKGROUND

The Employer's mission is to provide services to the Nez Pierce, Coeur D'Alene, and Kootenai Indian tribes whose members live on approximately 158,000 acres of reservation land in northern Idaho. The Employer provides law enforcement, social and environmental services, and assistance In managing forestry programs on the reservations. Employees are part of a nationwide consolidated bargaining unit of approximately 10,000 in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); the Northern Idaho Agency employs about 47 General Schedule and Wage Grade employees who hold