{"id":15992,"date":"2021-08-23T20:27:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T20:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/23\/biden-fills-out-labor-relations-agency-with-10-new-appointments\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:44:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:44:05","slug":"biden-fills-out-labor-relations-agency-with-10-new-appointments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/leadership\/2021\/08\/23\/biden-fills-out-labor-relations-agency-with-10-new-appointments\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden fills out labor relations agency with 10 new appointments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After requiring the resignation<\/a> of all 10 members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel at the beginning of his administration, President Joe Biden announced Aug. 23 his intent to fill all of the panel member positions, addressing the final vacancies left remaining at the Federal Labor Relations Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FLRA is responsible for resolving disputes between federal employee unions and agency leaders in cases of contract negotiations and unfair labor practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FSIP is the contract negotiation arbiter at the authority. When agencies and their employee unions cannot come to agreement on collective bargaining negotiations, they can request mediation from the FLRA. If that mediation fails to result in an agreement, either party can file for assistance from the panel, which can impose contract terms on the union and agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final step an agency or union can take in resolving a contract dispute is to appeal the FSIP ruling to a relevant court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal unions were dissatisfied with the members of the FSIP under the Trump administration, after the panel consistently ruled in favor of labor practices based on President Donald Trump\u2019s May 2018 executive orders<\/a> restricting collective bargaining and making it easier to fire federal employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal unions took Trump\u2019s order to court, arguing that they violated statutory protections provided to unions. But the appeals court ultimately ruled that unions would have to go through FSIP decision-making before taking the orders to court<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the previous administration, the FSIP was often hostile toward the role unions play in federal government operations and issued an overwhelming majority of opinions that favored management. The FSIP was in dire need of objective labor relations professionals and this new list of appointees meets that standard,\u201d National Treasury Employees Union National President Tony Reardon said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden rescinded those executive orders upon taking office and removed all 10 members of the FSIP who had enforced them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since, that time, Biden has selected people to fill out the leadership<\/a> of the larger FLRA, though they must still go through Senate confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His appointment of these 10 members to the FSIP, which does not require Senate confirmation, will enable the agency to operate at full strength again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n