FLRA NEWSFLRA NEWSPhyllis Segal, Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), is appointing Richard I. Bloch to a three year term on the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Bloch is an arbitrator and mediator of labor and commercial disputes, with significant experience in both the public and private sector. He was appointed as a member of the Foreign Service Grievance Board in 1976 and served as Chairman of the Grievance Board from 1978 to 1984. He serves as arbitrator for numerous school systems, municipalities and police and fire departments. Mr. Bloch is currently the permanent umpire for General Dynamics Corporation and ALCOA and serves as arbitrator for major league baseball, football, and hockey. Mr. Bloch also lectures and conducts training sessions extensively. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
The Foreign Service Labor Relations Board administers the labor-management relations program for Foreign Service employees in the U.S. Information Agency, the Agency for International Development, and the Departments of State, Agriculture and Commerce. The Board is responsible for: 1) supervising or conducting elections and determining whether a labor organization has been selected as the exclusive representative; 2) resolving complaints of alleged unfair labor practices; 3) resolving issues relating to the obligation to bargain in good faith; and 4) resolving disputes over the effect or interpretation of a collective bargaining agreement.
The Foreign Service Act provides that the FLRA Chair serves as Chair of the Board. The Chair appoints the two other members to three-year terms from nominees approved by the agencies over which the Board has jurisdiction and by the exclusive representative of the employees in each agency. Serving with Mr. Bloch on the Board is Tia Denenberg, an arbitrator from Red Hook, New York. The FLRA General Counsel serves as General Counsel for the Board, which receives staff support from the FLRA.