FLRA NEWS


FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY · WASHINGTON, DC · 20424

July 31, 1997 · PR 114-97
Contact: Kim Weaver
202-482-6500

FLRA ISSUES FINAL VERSION OF
UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE REGULATIONS

The FLRA today published in the Federal Register its final rule containing revisions to its unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint regulations. The new regulations, which go into effect on October 1, 1997, significantly change the way the FLRA deals with ULP complaints. The revisions are designed to encourage collaborative dispute resolution, sharpen the issues to be litigated, and make the regulations clearer and more user-friendly.

"Encouraging settlements and improving enforcement under the Statute serve as the foundation on which the new regulations are built. The cornerstone is the new obligation for parties to exchange information before the hearing. Parties now will be required to share information 14 days before the trial and, in almost every case, a pre-hearing conference will be held to discuss, narrow, and resolve as much of the dispute as possible," said Chair Phyllis Segal. "Where cases are not settled, this disclosure and discussion will allow more focused hearings and speedier decisions, which should save money for all the parties involved."

The revisions make a number of improvements to the ULP regulations. To ensure that the new pre-hearing disclosure requirements are met, the regulations give the Administrative Law Judges the authority to sanction parties for their failure to comply. The regulations incorporate the FLRA pilot settlement judge program, which has had considerable success in its first two years of operation. In addition, to make them easier to follow, the regulations were reorganized and given headings that act as a guide to the user.

At the beginning of the revision process, the FLRA convened focus groups and requested public comment to gather customer suggestions. After the proposed regulations were published, the FLRA held two additional focus groups to receive comments on its proposed revisions.

The FLRA is an independent agency that administers the labor-management relations program for 1.9 million federal employees world-wide. The FLRA's Office of Administrative Law Judges presides over trials and renders decisions in ULP cases prosecuted by the FLRA's Office of General Counsel.

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