The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent agency of the United States government that governs labor relations between the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

and its employees. Created by the

Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) reformed the civil service of the United States federal government, partly in response to the Watergate scandal (1972-74). The Act abolished the U.S. Civil Service Commission and distributed its func ...

, it is a

quasi-judicial body A quasi-judicial body is a non-judicial body which can interpret law. It is an entity such as an arbitration panel or tribunal board, which can be a public administrative agency (not part of the judicial branch of government) but also a contra ...

with three full-time members who are appointed for five-year terms by the President with the

advice and consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in List of enacting formulae, enacting formulae of bill (proposed law), bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive ...

of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. One member is appointed by the President to serve as chairman,

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, and chief administrative officer of the FLRA. The chairman is also ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' chairman of the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board. The three members cannot be from the same political party. The Authority adjudicates disputes arising under the Civil Service Reform Act, deciding cases concerning the negotiability of

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...

agreement proposals, appeals concerning unfair labor practices and representation petitions, and exceptions to grievance arbitration awards. Consistent with its statutory charge to provide leadership in establishing policies and guidance to participants in the Federal labor-management relations program, the Authority also assists Federal agencies and unions in understanding their rights and responsibilities under the Statute through statutory training of parties. In 1981, it decertified—that is, stripped it from its status as a representative union—the air traffic controllers' PATCO union, after the

1981 air traffic controllers strike The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) was a United States trade union of air traffic controllers that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981 following an illegal strike broken by the Reagan administrat ...

. The agency is separate from the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

, which governs private-sector labor relations.

Board members

The board is composed of 3 members, nominated by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of 5 years. The President can designate the chairman with no separate Senate confirmation required. The board is supported by a general counsel, who is also nominated by the

, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of five years. There has been no senate-confirmed General Counsel since Julia Akins Clark left the post in January 2017, and no Acting General Counsel between November 2017 and March 24, 2021, when President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

named Charlotte A. Dye to be Acting General Counsel. In August 2021, President Biden nominated eight-year assistant general counsel Kurt Rumsfeld to the position. However, the nomination was pulled, and in June 2023, President Biden nominated union attorney Suzanne Summerlin for the position. Her nomination expired at the ''sine die'' adjournment of the

118th United States Congress The 118th United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House ...

References

External links

Federal Labor Relations AuthorityFederal Labor Relations Authority
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the government gazette, official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every wee ...

FLRA Mission and Functions
{{authority control Labor relations boards Civil service in the United States Labor Relations Authority Government agencies established in 1978 1978 establishments in the United States K Street

Board members

See also

References

External links