FLRA NEWS
FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY · WASHINGTON, DC · 20424
January 6, 2000 · PR 101-00
Contact: Patty Reilly
202-482-6500

GENERAL COUNSEL ISSUES NEW 
UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CASE HANDLING MANUAL

The General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, Joseph Swerdzewski, today issued a new a Unfair Labor Practice Case Handling Manual (Manual) which provides comprehensive guidance to Regional Agents in processing, resolving, and investigating unfair labor practice charges. The Manual incorporates and references the changes to the General Counsel's regulations set forth at Subpart A of Part 2423 of the FLRA's Regulations. See 63 Fed. Reg. 65638-65645 (Nov. 30, 1998), which includes the codification of the Office of the General Counsel's (OGC) policies on Facilitation, Intervention, Training and Education (FITE); Quality; Scope; Injunctions; Prosecutorial Discretion; Settlement; and Appeals. Where appropriate, the Manual references relevant case law. As it pertains to various case processing matters, the Manual provides for uniformity and best practices among the Regions; provides criteria and principles that govern Regional discretion and judgment; and also provides Model and Sample Forms and Letters.

Announcing the Manual, General Counsel Swerdzewski commented, "The Manual is part of the Office of the General Counsel's continuing effort to provide guidance to the Regions on investigating unfair labor practice charges. In providing guidance on the processing of potential or actual unfair labor practice charges up through the issuance of complaint, the Manual complements the Litigation Manual, issued by the Office of the General Counsel in 1998, which provides guidance to Regional Office Trial Attorneys in processing cases after complaint has issued. As is my custom, I am making this Manual available to the public so that parties who seek the services of the FLRA Regional Offices or otherwise become involved in matters relating to a potential or actual unfair labor practice charge, may become better informed about the investigation and the role of the OGC. The parties' increased understanding facilitates the processing of an unfair labor practice charge, whether through the application of an alternate dispute resolution technique, investigation, settlement, or even in the filing of an appeal of a dismissal of an unfair labor practice charge, to list just a few examples."

The FLRA 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 more than 2,200 bargaining units. The Office of the General Counsel is the independent investigative and prosecutorial component of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) which processes unfair labor practice charges and representation petitions through the Regional Offices, and assists parties in improving their labor-management relationship. The General Counsel periodically issues Guidances to the Regional Directors to provide leadership in promoting productive labor-management relationships in the Federal sector and Manuals that explain the OGC's policies and procedures for processing cases that are filed under its jurisdiction. The General Counsel directs the FLRA's seven Regional Offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

The Manual will be available by January 7, 2000, in PDF format on the FLRA Web Site, www.flra.gov. The Manual is also offered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office. Questions or comments concerning this Manual should be directed to FLRA Deputy General Counsel David Feder at (202) 482-6680, extension 203.

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