12:0176(43)NG - AFGE Local 3760 and SSA -- 1983 FLRAdec NG

 12 FLRA No. 43
 
 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT
 EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, LOCAL 3760
 (Union)
 
 and
 
 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
 (Agency)
 
                                            Case No. O-NG-827
 
                   ORDER DISMISSING PETITION FOR REVIEW
 
    This matter is before the Federal Labor Relations Authority pursuant
 to section 7105(a)(2)(E) of the Federal Service Labor-Management
 Relations Statute and section 2424.1 of the Authority's Rules and
 Regulations on a petition for review of negotiability issues filed by
 the union.  For the reason indicated below, the union's petition for
 review must be dismissed.
 
    Section 2424.3 of the Authority's Rules and Regulations provides that
 the time limit for filing a petition for review is 15 days after service
 of the agency's allegation that the duty to bargain in good faith does
 not extend to the matter proposed to be bargained.  Additionally,
 pursuant to section 2429.22, when the allegation is served on the union
 by mail, five days are added to the prescribed period.
 
    The record before the Authority in this case indicates that the
 parties executed a collective bargaining agreement and forwarded it to
 the agency head for review and approval pursuant to section 7114(c) of
 the Statute.  By letter dated March 9, 1983, the agency head disapproved
 a number of provisions in the agreement.  On March 21, 1983, the union
 requested a further statement of the agency's position as to the
 disputed provisions.  On March 30, 1983, the agency answered by
 referring the union to its earlier disapproval action.  On April 19,
 1983, the union filed the instant petition for review with the
 Authority.
 
    While the union's petition was filed within 20 days of the agency's
 response of March 30, 1983, it is clear that the union's appeal in this
 case seeks review of the agency's allegation of March 9, 1983, which was
 made in the course of reviewing the local agreement pursuant to section
 7114(c) of the Statute, and served on the union by mail on that date.
 Therefore, under sections 2424.3 and 2429.22 of the Rules and
 Regulations, the union's petition for review had to be filed with the
 Authority no later than the close of business on March 29, 1983.
 However, as stated above, the union's petition was not filed until April
 19, 1983.  Therefore, the union's petition was untimely filed and must
 be dismissed on that basis.  See, e.g., American Federation of
 Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Local 896 and Defense Printing Service,
 Annapolis, Maryland, 6 FLRA No. 39 (1981), request for reconsideration
 denied:  December 24, 1981.
 
    Accordingly, the union's petition for review in this case is hereby
 dismissed.  For the Authority.  Issued, Washington, D.C., June 7, 1983
                                       James J. Shepard, Executive
                                       Director