FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

STRATEGIC PLAN

2022-2026
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN ....................................................................................................5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................7

MISSION STATEMENT................................................................................................................................7

VISION.......................................................................................................................................................7

STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................9

BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................................................9

MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIES ..............................................................................................................9

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE................................................................................................................11

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.................................................................................................................13

STRATEGIC GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, AND PERFORMANCE GOALS............14

GOAL 1: WE WILL RESOLVE DISPUTES UNDER THE FEDERAL SERVICE LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS 

STATUTE IN A TIMELY, HIGH-QUALITY, AND IMPARTIAL MANNER.........................................................14

Goal Overview....................................................................................................................................................14

Strategic Objectives ...........................................................................................................................................15

GOAL 2: WE WILL PROMOTE STABILITY IN THE FEDERAL LABOR-MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY BY 

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE THROUGH ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND 

EDUCATION...........................................................................................................................................17

Goal Overview....................................................................................................................................................17

Strategic Objectives ...........................................................................................................................................17

GOAL 3: WE WILL MANAGE OUR RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE 

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE............................................................................................................19

Goal Overview....................................................................................................................................................19

Strategic Objectives ...........................................................................................................................................20

MAJOR MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, CHALLENGES, AND RISKS........................................24

EVIDENCE BUILDING .........................................................................................................................25

FUTURE EVALUATIONS ...........................................................................................................................25

APPENDIX: ABBREVIATIONS ...........................................................................................................26
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, or “the 

Statute,” was passed in 1978 and implemented the following year. It 

had its genesis in President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 Executive Order

10988, Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Sector (EO 

10988), and President Richard M. Nixon’s 1969 Executive Order 11491,

Labor-Management Relations in the Federal Service (EO 11491).

The Statute created the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) as 

an independent Federal agency that oversees the labor-management

programs of most agencies in the Federal Government. Through that 

oversight, the FLRA protects the rights of, and facilitates the collective-bargaining 

relationships among, federal agencies, labor organizations, and employees. The Statute 

remains the source of the FLRA’s mission, which is as relevant today as it was when

Congress enacted the Statute. 

In recent years, the FLRA has experienced various challenges that have hindered its ability 

to successfully perform this mission. Specifically, the nearly four-year absence of a General 

Counsel, and the resulting inability to issue unfair-labor-practice complaints, has resulted 

in unprecedented case backlogs in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC); the FLRA’s

successful alternative-dispute-resolution office, the Collaboration and Alternative Dispute 

Resolution Office (CADRO), was abolished, depriving the FLRA’s parties of a wide range of 

essential services and adding to backlogs in cases before the FLRA’s three Members; 

experienced staff departed, including those who left when the FLRA closed its Dallas and 

Boston Regional Offices; new case filings grew significantly; and the FLRA saw a 

precipitous drop in its Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, dropping 

from the #3 small agency to the bottom two.

In 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued Executive Order 14003, Protecting the 

Federal Workforce (EO 14003) and Executive Order 14025, Worker Organizing and 

Empowerment (EO 14025). In EO 14025, President Biden repeats Congress’s finding, set 

forth prominently in the Statute, that ‘‘experience in both private and public employment 

indicates that the statutory protection of the right of employees to organize, bargain 

collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their own choosing in decisions 

which affect them . . . safeguards the public interest, . . . contributes to the effective conduct 

of public business, and . . . facilitates and encourages the amicable settlements of disputes 

between employees and their employers involving conditions of employment.’’

More than ever, the FLRA should lead in making federal-sector labor-management 

relations work. We can do so by using our unique expertise to help prevent and effectively 

resolve labor-management disputes, and doing so in a transparent manner that respects 

the legitimate interests of key stakeholders.

But, to further those goals – and consistent with President Biden’s vision of promoting 

effective collective bargaining – the FLRA needs to rebuild. To that end, it has begun a 

multiyear, multiphase effort that will continue through the period of this Strategic Plan. 

Specifically, the FLRA has begun restoring FLRA staff levels, including restoring CADRO 
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and seeking to restore OGC and the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) staffing 

levels. It has begun efforts to rebuild employee engagement and satisfaction internally, 

including once again recognizing the FLRA employees’ exclusive representative, the Union 

of Authority Employees. These efforts have begun to pay off, with the FLRA rising to the #7 

– and the #2 most improved – small agency in the Best Places to Work in the Federal 

Government rankings. And more will be done in the coming years to continue those efforts 

and to enable the FLRA to better serve its customers.

President Biden begins EO 14003 by observing, “Career civil servants are the backbone of 

the Federal workforce, providing the expertise and experience necessary for the critical 

functioning of the Federal Government.” In 2022, for this upcoming 60th anniversary of 

President Kennedy’s EO 10988, let us reflect and refocus on our valuable workforce at the 

FLRA. Let us avail ourselves of the benefits of having a constructive relationship with the 

re-recognized UAE. And let us make the FLRA a great place to work, once again. To these

goals, I am firmly committed.

I am proud to have the honor to serve as Chairman of the FLRA and to work with its 

incredibly resilient and resourceful employees.

Ernest DuBester, Chairman 

Federal Labor Relations Authority
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Federal Labor Relations Authority (the FLRA) is an independent agency created by 

Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The FLRA has three independent 

statutory components—the Authority, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Federal 

Service Impasses Panel—each with unique roles and responsibilities.

MISSION STATEMENT

The FLRA’s mission is

Exercising leadership in preventing and resolving labor-management disputes,

giving full effect to the collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and 

agencies.

To accomplish this, the FLRA provides leadership in establishing policies and guidance to 

assist federal agencies with their labor-management-relations programs. The FLRA also: 

resolves complaints of unfair labor practices (ULPs); determines the appropriateness of 

bargaining units, and supervises or conducts secret-ballot elections for labor-organization 

representation; adjudicates exceptions to grievance-arbitration awards; adjudicates legal 

issues relating to the duty to bargain;and resolves impasses during negotiations.

VISION

The FLRA’s vision, which drives achievement of its mission, is

Lead in promoting constructive federal labor-management relations.

Three strategic goals, each supported by several strategic objectives, guide the FLRA’s

pursuit of its vision and achievement of its mission.

The FLRA developed this strategic plan against a canvas of strengths and challenges that 

can affect overall mission delivery. The source of the FLRA’s internal strengths is its skilled 

workforce guided by the Agency’s values of transparency and accountability, along with its 

increasing focus on the innovative use of information technology (IT) and data-driven 

analysis. Challenges arise from budget uncertainty and Presidential-appointee vacancies. 

The goals and objectives in this plan support the FLRA’s mission in light of these strengths 

and challenges.
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STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

FLRA Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal #1 Strategic Goal #2 Strategic Goal #3

We will resolve disputes 

under the Federal Service 

Labor-Management Relations 

Statute in a timely, highquality, and impartial 

manner.

We will promote stability in the 

federal labor-management 

community by providing 

leadership and guidance 

through Alternative Dispute 

Resolution and education.

We will manage our resources 

effectively and efficiently in 

order to achieve organizational 

excellence.

Strategic Objectives

1.1. Achieve or exceed caseresolution timeliness 

measures, as established by 

each component.

2.1. Offer high-quality outreach 

and prevention services, as 

well as reference resources, 

to promote more effective 

labor-management relations 

across the federal 

government.

3.1. Recruit, retain, and

develop a highly talented, 

motivated, and diverse 

workforce to accomplish the 

FLRA’s mission.

1.2. Set a high standard of 

quality for the caseresolution process.

2.2. Maximize the use of 

Alternative Dispute 

Resolution practices in case 

resolution.

3.2. Improve usage of existing 

technology and deploy new 

IT systems to streamline and 

enhance organizational 

operations.

3.3. Act as an effective steward 

of agency resources.
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INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

The FLRA is an independent administrative federal agency created by Title VII of the Civil 

Service Reform Act of 1978, also known as the Federal Service Labor-Management 

Relations Statute (the Statute), 5 U.S.C. §§ 7101-7135. The Statute’s purpose is to prescribe 

certain rights and obligations of the Federal Government’s employees, their exclusive 

representatives, and Federal agencies, and to establish procedures that are designed to 

meet the Government’s special requirements and needs.

MISSION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In striving to fulfill its mission, the FLRA executes the following five primary 

responsibilities, as set forth in the Statute: 

1. Resolving complaints of unfair labor practices (ULP). The FLRA is responsible for 

investigating, prosecuting, and adjudicating claims that agencies or labor organizations 

have failed to uphold their legal obligations to other parties or individual employees 

under the Statute.

2. Determining the appropriateness of bargaining units, and supervising or conducting 

elections, for labor-organization representation (REP). The FLRA conducts secret-ballot 

elections for union representation, resolves objections regarding the conduct of such 

elections, and determines which employees may be included in bargaining units, as 

well as the appropriate composition of such units, under the Statute. 

3. Adjudicating exceptions to arbitrators’ awards (ARB). Under the Statute, parties’ 

collective-bargaining agreements must include negotiated procedures for the filing of 

grievances by employees, unions, or agencies, and those negotiated grievance 

procedures must provide for binding arbitration of unresolved grievances. The FLRA 

adjudicates appeals, known as exceptions, to the resulting arbitration awards, and 

reviews those awards to assess whether they are contrary to any law, rule, or 

regulation, or are deficient on other grounds similar to those applied by federal courts 

in private-sector labor-management relations. The FLRA may take such action as it 

considers necessary, including setting aside or modifying the awards. 

4. Adjudicating legal issues relating to the duty to bargain (NEG). The FLRA resolves 

negotiability disputes that can arise either when an agency claims that a contract 

proposal made during bargaining is outside the duty to bargain under all 

FLRA MISSION: “Exercising leadership in preventing and 

resolving labor-management disputes, giving full effect to the 

collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies.”

 
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circumstances, or when an agency head disapproves negotiated agreements on the 

ground that they contain provisions that are contrary to law. In cases regarding 

bargaining proposals, the FLRA may order the parties to bargain over negotiable 

proposals, and in cases involving agency-head disapprovals of negotiated agreements, 

the FLRA may order the agency to rescind its disapproval of lawful provisions. 

5. Resolving impasses during negotiations (Impasse). If the parties cannot reach 

agreement after negotiations and third-party assistance, either of the parties can 

request assistance from the FLRA through the Federal Service Impasses Panel.

The Statute also directs the FLRA to “provide leadership in establishing policies and 

guidance” related to labor-management issues under its jurisdiction. Through its casework, 

the FLRA has developed extensive expertise in the Statute and the processes for optimal 

resolution of labor-management disputes. The guidance that it develops to share this 

expertise comes in the form of its web-based and in-person trainings, Alternative-DisputeResolution (ADR) services, and other outreach activities. These trainings, services, and 

activities, when executed alongside the agency’s case-adjudication responsibilities, are an 

essential part of how the FLRA aims to achieve its mission of promoting stable, 

constructive labor-management relations across the federal government. 
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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the FLRA has three statutory components: the 

Authority, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Federal Service Impasses Panel (the 

FSIP). Each component has unique adjudicative or prosecutorial roles.

The Authority, the FLRA’s adjudicatory body, is led by three presidentially nominated and 

Senate-confirmed Members. The Authority is responsible for adjudicating ULP complaints 
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heard by the Office of Administrative Law Judges,1 exceptions to arbitrators’ grievancearbitration awards, disputes over the negotiability of collective-bargaining language, and 

disputes concerning bargaining-unit determinations.2 Pursuant to § 7104(b) of the Statute, 

the President designates one Member to serve as Chairman of the FLRA. The Chairman is 

the Agency’s chief executive and administrative officer.

Other programs and offices under the Chairman’s jurisdiction include the Office of the 

Solicitor, the Office of Case Intake and Publication, the Collaboration and Alternative 

Dispute Resolution Office, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Program. Standing as 

an independent entity within the Authority is the Office of Inspector General.

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is led by a 

presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed General 

Counsel. Id. § 7104(f)(1), (2), and (3). The General Counsel has 

direct authority over, and responsibility for, all employees in 

the OGC, including the FLRA’s Regional Offices. The OGC 

investigates ULP charges, files and prosecutes ULP 

complaints, determines representation matters, and provides 

training, as appropriate.

The FSIP assists in resolving negotiation impasses between 

federal agencies and exclusive representatives under § 7119 

of the Statute and under the Federal Employees Flexible and 

Compressed Work Schedules Act, 5 U.S.C. § 6131(c)(2)(A), 

(c)(3)(B) and (c)(3)(C).

The FSIP is composed of a Chairman and at least six other 

members, who are appointed by the President. Id. § 

7119(c)(2).

 1 The Authority has delegated to the Office of Administrative Law Judges its authority under § 

7118 of the Statute to determine whether any person has engaged in or is engaging in a ULP. 

5 U.S.C. § 7105(e)(2). 2 The Authority has delegated to the Regional Directors its authority to determine whether a 

group of employees is an appropriate unit; to conduct investigations and to provide for hearings; 

to determine whether a question of representation exists and to direct an election; and to 

supervise or conduct secret-ballot elections and certify the results thereof. 5 U.S.C. § 7105(e)(1).

Regional Offices

Atlanta

Chicago

Denver

San Francisco

Washington, DC

Office of the 

General Counsel

Charlotte A. Dye, 

Acting General Counsel

Martin H. Malin, Chairman

Wynter Patrice Allen, Member

Jeanne Charles, Member

Tamiko N.W. Watkins, Member

Edward F. Hartfield, Member

Mark Gaston Pearce, Member

Howard Friedman, Member

Pamela R. Schwartz, Member

Marvin E. Johnson, Member

Joseph E. Slater, Member

Federal Service

Impasses Panel
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Pursuant to the Foreign Service Act of 1980, 22 U.S.C. § 4101-4118, the 

FLRA also provides full program and staff support to two additional bodies. 

The Foreign Service Labor Relations Board oversees the labor-management 

relations program for Foreign Service employees of the U.S. Agency for 

Global Media (formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors), the U.S. 

Agency for International Development, and the Departments of State, 

Agriculture, and Commerce. 

The Foreign Service Impasse Disputes Panel assists in resolving bargaining 

impasses arising in the course of collective bargaining between the exclusive 

representative and those same Foreign Service agencies.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

This strategic plan’s development revolved around a return to the principles of the 2015-

2018 Strategic Plan, for which FLRA leadership undertook a structured process that 

solicited the perspectives of the agency’s diverse employee, customer, and stakeholder base. 

That strategic-planning team comprised representatives from each FLRA component and 

the employees’ representative organization, the Union of Authority Employees. At that 

time, the team internally conducted one-on-one interviews with the FLRA’s entire 

leadership team, held targeted focus-group meetings with managers and employees, and 

solicited employee feedback through online message boards and e-mails. 

For external stakeholders, the FLRA then held a series of focus groups, in which 

representatives from seven federal-employee unions and twelve federal agencies provided 

input on FLRA services and performance. In addition to soliciting feedback from agencies 

that use FLRA resources or who are parties to FLRA cases, the FLRA back then also sought 

input from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the early stages of the strategicplanning process. Equipped with these perspectives and guided by the FLRA’s core values 

of transparency, accountability, open dialogue, and pre-decisional involvement, the 

strategic-planning team of that time held working sessions to develop and memorialize the 

goals, objectives, and performance measures of this strategic plan.
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STRATEGIC GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, AND 

PERFORMANCE GOALS

FLRA Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal #1 Strategic Goal #2 Strategic Goal #3

We will resolve disputes 

under the Federal Service 

Labor-Management Relations 

Statute in a timely, highquality, and impartial 

manner.

We will promote stability in the 

federal labor-management 

community by providing 

leadership and guidance 

through Alternative Dispute 

Resolution and education.

We will manage our resources 

effectively and efficiently in 

order to achieve organizational 

excellence.

Strategic Objectives

1.1. Achieve or exceed caseresolution timeliness 

measures, as established by 

each component.

2.1. Offer high-quality outreach 

and prevention services, as 

well as reference resources, 

to promote more effective 

labor-management relations 

across the federal 

government.

3.1. Recruit, retain, and 

develop a highly talented, 

motivated, and diverse 

workforce to accomplish the 

FLRA’s mission.

1.2. Set a high standard of 

quality for the caseresolution process.

2.2. Maximize the use of 

Alternative Dispute 

Resolution practices in case 

resolution.

3.2. Improve usage of existing 

technology and deploy new 

IT systems to streamline and 

enhance organizational 

operations.

3.3. Act as an effective steward 

of agency resources.

The FLRA has a distinct role and mission to fulfill in the federal government. The agency 

has three strategic goals, which support the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission.

GOAL 1: WE WILL RESOLVE DISPUTES UNDER THE FEDERAL 

SERVICE LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS STATUTE IN A TIMELY, 

HIGH-QUALITY, AND IMPARTIAL MANNER.

Goal Overview

As described in the introduction, the FLRA receives five different, primary types of cases 

from parties: Unfair Labor Practice (ULP), Representation (REP), Arbitration (ARB), 

Negotiability (NEG), and Bargaining Impasse (Impasse). The first strategic goal relates to 

the FLRA’s investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of these cases. 

When resolving cases, the FLRA applies standards of timeliness, quality, and impartiality. 

Labor-management disputes that remain unresolved for a significant period of time or that 

are resolved in an ineffective manner can negatively affect other federal agencies’ ability to 
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accomplish their own missions. By evaluating progress against these standards, the FLRA 

will be able to continually improve and innovate its case-related processes and contribute to 

a more effective and efficient government. 

Strategic Objectives

Objective 1.1: Achieve or exceed case-resolution timeliness measures, as established by each 

component.

It is difficult for parties to gain maximum benefit from the FLRA’s investigation, 

prosecution, and adjudication of their cases if case resolution is not swift, or are issued too 

late to be relevant to the original dispute. Consequently, timeliness measures are essential 

for accountability in the agency’s case-resolution processes. The process for each case type 

is unique, and a majority of the agency’s case types are processed, at various stages, by 

different combinations of the agency’s independent components and offices. For this reason, 

the FLRA historically has and will continue to set separate timeliness measures for each 

case type. Goals around these measures are developed and provided annually in the FLRA’s 

Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). The agency will use the strategies described 

below to continually evaluate progress towards achieving its timeliness measures, and it 

will streamline and innovate processes or revise measures, as necessary, based on 

assessment of past performance, resources, parties’ needs, and impacts on quality. 

Employing these strategies to facilitate the timely resolution of its cases will allow the 

FLRA to best serve its parties’ needs and to make progress towards its mission of exercising 

leadership in preventing and resolving labor-management disputes, giving full effect to the 

collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies.

Strategies: 

The following strategies describe a data-driven process that the FLRA will use to achieve 

its timeliness goals: 

• Establish goals for timeliness measures, and discuss lessons learned and best 

practices, both within and among the three components, at least annually

• Incorporate timeliness progress reviews into the existing regular meeting structure 

and/or other venues in order to share updates and best practices, promote 

accountability, and discuss steps for future performance improvement 

• Continuously develop and implement process and material improvements discussed 

during the regular progress reviews or at any other appropriate time 

Components Involved: 

• FLRA Authority

o OALJ

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP

Performance Goals for Objective 1.1: 

• Performance Goal 1.1.1: Timely investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate each case type 

(ULP, REP, ARB, NEG, Impasse)

• Performance Goal 1.1.2: Resolve overage cases in a timely fashion
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Objective 1.2: Set a high standard of quality for the case-resolution process 

While timeliness is an important measure of the FLRA’s effectiveness in handling its cases, 

it is universally understood within the agency that parties do not receive maximum benefit 

from timely case decisions without commensurate attention to quality. The FLRA assesses

quality in terms of clear communication with parties, effective ULP and REP case 

investigations, and the issuance of well-written and understandable decisions and other 

written products, that provide deliberate, impartial, and legally sound analyses and 

consideration of the issues in dispute. As reflected in the strategies for this objective, the 

FLRA is committed to re-evaluating its concept of quality over time to increase the value 

that the agency’s case-resolution processes bring to the federal-sector labor-management 

community. 

Unlike timeliness and quality, impartiality is not targeted in a separate strategic objective 

for Goal 1 because it is inextricably linked to the agency’s definition of quality. Specifically,

faithful execution and clear communication of case processes, and production of clear, wellreasoned decisions, tie directly into parties’ confidence in the impartiality of the FLRA’s 

processes. Despite this inextricable linkage, Goal 1 explicitly mentions impartiality in order 

to emphasize it as a priority on which FLRA employees insist in the FLRA’s case-review 

and disposition process. 

Strategies:

The following strategies describe the processes and resources that the FLRA will use to 

make progress towards achieving its quality standards: 

• Use established goals for quality and discuss lessons learned and best practices, both 

within and among the three components, at least annually

• Incorporate discussions of quality-standard adoption, both in terms of successes and 

needs for improvement, into the existing regular meeting structure and other venues 

• Continuously develop and implement process and material improvements discussed 

during regular progress reviews and at any other appropriate time

• Use the FLRA’s online resources to keep parties informed of what they can generally 

expect with respect to FLRA case processes in terms of timing, steps, etc. 

Components Involved: 

• FLRA Authority

o OALJ

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP

Performance Goals for Objective 1.2: 

• Performance Goal 1.2.1: Develop a mechanism for soliciting external feedback on the 

FLRA case-resolution process

• Performance Goal 1.2.2: Score highly on internal quality reviews regarding the caseresolution process
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GOAL 2: WE WILL PROMOTE STABILITY IN THE FEDERAL LABORMANAGEMENT COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND 

GUIDANCE THROUGH ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND 

EDUCATION.

Goal Overview

FLRA leadership and employees possess considerable knowledge of the Statute and, 

through their casework, also have a unique view into critical labor-management issues and 

the best practices for handling disputes that may arise as a result of those issues. The 

FLRA has extensive experience applying these areas of expertise towards the facilitation of 

positive and effective labor-management relationships, and it has consequently developed a 

strong understanding of the compelling, mutual benefits of positive labor-management 

relations. Given its unique perspective and role, the FLRA is determined to continue 

serving as a leader in facilitating effective and collaborative labor-management 

relationships, and in actively promoting stability in the federal labor-management 

community, as captured in this second strategic goal. 

The two key ways in which the FLRA provides leadership and guidance are through its 

ADR services and its education and outreach activities. ADR is a service that has been 

incorporated into all of the FLRA’s case processes – in every component and at every stage 

of case processing. The FLRA will continue to maximize its use of ADR, where appropriate, 

and it will explore ways to measure and communicate ADR’s positive impact and benefits. 

The agency’s education and outreach activities include the trainings that it provides to the 

labor-management community, as well as its participation in leadership opportunities.

Strategic Objectives

Objective 2.1: Offer high-quality outreach and prevention services, as well as reference 

resources, to promote more effective labor-management relations across the federal 

government.

The FLRA currently offers training to the federal-sector labor-management community and 

provides self-service resources on its website that relate to the Statute and the handling of 

different types of labor-management disputes. These and other forms of outreach not only 

empower and educate the members of the labor-management community, but also spread 

awareness about the shared benefits of positive labor-management relations in 

government, and contribute to prevention of disputes. Additionally, they allow the FLRA to 

demonstrate leadership.

By targeting its outreach to areas of highest need, tailoring content to specific audiences, 

and ensuring that its website is an easily navigable and content-rich case-processing and 

case-law reference for all users, the FLRA can build on its reputation as a leader in 

facilitating effective and collaborative labor-management relations. This increases its 

overall ability to promote an effective and efficient government.

Strategies: 

The following strategies describe a complementary set of approaches that the FLRA will 

use to continually improve the value of its outreach and prevention activities, trainings, 
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and resources: 

• Encourage positive, open communication between labor and management 

representatives

• Conduct independent, objective, and timely analyses of labor-management issues and 

trends to inform case and outreach activities

• Deploy cross-component teams to deliver external trainings, when appropriate

• Provide tailored outreach and training, including animated, live, and recorded video 

and audio, targeting audiences with the greatest need

• Improve the FLRA website to make it a more user-friendly, empowering resource for 

parties and the federal-sector labor-management community

Components Involved: 

• FLRA Authority

o OALJ

o CADRO

o Office of Legislative Affairs and Program Planning

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP 

Performance Goals for Objective 2.1:

• Performance Goal 2.1.1: Provide targeted training, outreach and prevention, and 

facilitation activities within the labor-management community

• Performance Goal 2.1.2: Provide effective, useful, up-to-date case-processing and caselaw resources and trainings for the labor-management community

Objective 2.2: Maximize the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution practices in case resolution

The FLRA currently offers ADR services to parties across all of its five primary case types. 

When administered appropriately, ADR has the potential to help parties reach mutual 

understanding on contentious issues and strengthen their underlying relationships. 

Congress and other government stakeholders have recognized ADR as an effective way to 

promote stability in the federal workforce. Consequently, by maximizing its appropriate use 

of ADR and building up evidence around the benefits of ADR, the FLRA will be able to 

solidify its reputation as a leader in the labor-management community and across the 

federal government. The natural differences between the structure and work of each FLRA 

component necessitate that the conversations around maximizing and measuring ADR’s

benefits account for each component’s unique role and capabilities. These differences 

require that ADR standards and performance measures be tailored to each component’s –

and each office’s – unique situation.

Strategies: 

The following strategies describe the methods that the FLRA will use to maximize its use of 

ADR:

• Set standards for how and when ADR should be offered in each component in order to 

maximize parties’ access to ADR

• Evaluate the estimated benefits achieved through implementation of ADR practices
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Components Involved:

• FLRA Authority

o OALJ

o CADRO

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP

Performance Goals for Objective 2.2:

• Performance Goal 2.2.1: Successful resolution of a significant portion of FLRA cases 

through ADR

• Performance Goal 2.2.2: Expanded use of ADR in ARB cases

• Performance Goal 2.2.3: Examination of potential expanded use of ADR in REP cases

GOAL 3: WE WILL MANAGE OUR RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY AND 

EFFICIENTLY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ORGANIZATIONAL 

EXCELLENCE.

Goal Overview

The FLRA’s ability to fulfill its core mission under the Statute depends on effective 

management of the organization and its resources. The organizational-excellence goal 

emphasizes how the agency’s employees, information-technology (IT) infrastructure, and 

allocation of resources are central to achieving all of the strategic goals and objectives 

outlined in the strategic plan. FLRA leadership is committed to continuously strengthening 

FLRA operations in targeted areas and identifying improvements that will maximize 

delivery of services while maintaining a highly engaging and empowering work 

environment.

The landscape of the federal workplace and workforce continues to evolve, as do the needs 

of the parties that the FLRA serves. Career civil servants are the FLRA’s backbone. It is 

crucial for the FLRA to simultaneously focus on developing the workplace and the 

workforce of the future, while retaining valuable institutional knowledge. In the past, the 

FLRA has ranked among the top small agencies on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey 

and the Partnership for Public Service’s “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” 

rankings, and it has been recognized as a top small agency for innovation. The agency’s 

leadership seeks to continue and build upon this success and to develop and retain an 

engaged, highly skilled, and productive workforce.

Finally, the agency must be prepared to meet ever-changing business demands through the 

increased use of IT to best manage the workload and interact with parties. The FLRA will 

continue to be an effective steward of taxpayer dollars, with a renewed focus on maximizing 

the use of technology for more efficient case processing and data analytics to inform 

operational decision making. The agency’s future operational approaches are designed to 

foster nimble and seamless deployment of resources to support productive labormanagement relations across the federal government.
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Strategic Objectives

Objective 3.1: Recruit, retain, and develop a highly talented, motivated, and diverse 

workforce to accomplish the FLRA’s mission

The FLRA’s success is largely dependent on employee-driven mission performance, because 

its products and services—whether case decisions, ADR, or training—are labor-intensive. 

From 2017 to 2020, the FLRA lost nearly 30 percent of the staff, and the FLRA faces an 

increasing case load. The FLRA is now seeking to hire staff again, after cases began to 

increase with the appointment of an Acting General Counsel. These factors combine to 

create the imperative for this objective.

In order to attract and engage a highly skilled workforce to support the FLRA’s mission, the 

agency must invest in its most valuable resource—its employees. The FLRA will prepare for 

retirements by maximizing and institutionalizing knowledge transfer, engaging in 

succession planning to ensure that the next generation of leaders is well prepared, and 

developing new employees with the technical and leadership skills necessary to accomplish 

the agency’s mission. It has become increasingly important that the FLRA promote worklife balance strategies that will allow for efficient processing of a growing caseload, while 

retaining an engaged workforce that is well-equipped to achieve the mission. This increased 

focus on human-capital management and leadership development will strengthen the 

FLRA’s ability to sustain – and improve – its high level of mission performance and 

promote effective and efficient labor-management relations.

Strategies:

The following strategies describe the initiatives that the FLRA will undertake to cultivate a 

top-caliber workforce capable of effectively fulfilling the agency’s mission:

• Employ a targeted recruitment strategy to hire a diverse, highly skilled workforce

• Work across components to more effectively build capacity and share knowledge for 

leadership development and skills-based redundancies

• Cultivate a working environment that develops, empowers, and fairly rewards 

employees

• Engage in succession planning, and develop strategies to maximize the transfer of 

institutional knowledge

• Promote innovation

• Promote a healthy work-life balance to retain a productive workforce 

Components Involved:

• FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

o Human Resources Division

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP

• Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 

Performance Goals for Objective 3.1:

• Performance Goal 3.1.1: Demonstrate strong recruitment and retention practices
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• Performance Goal 3.1.2: Maintain and grow agency expertise through employee 

development

• Performance Goal 3.1.3: Develop internal tools and benchmarks for skills assessment, 

training-needs assessment, and effective succession planning

Objective 3.2: Improve usage of existing technology and deploy new IT systems to streamline 

and enhance organizational operations 

The rapid evolution of the technological landscape is having a significant impact on how 

government employees expect to communicate and accomplish their work. To meet the 

modernizing expectations of its internal and external stakeholders, the FLRA must 

maximize use of its existing technology, and consider possible future investments in new 

technology. Enhancing the use of data and electronic capabilities will allow for more 

efficient interaction with parties, better management of the FLRA’s caseload, and a more 

flexible work environment. As the FLRA explores the use of new, innovative technologies, 

decision makers must remain cognizant of the limited resources available to invest in new 

technology. FLRA leadership will ensure that any new, potential IT investments are 

strategic and sound. 

The FLRA will work to identify IT solutions that drive new levels of performance and close 

gaps between current and desired capabilities, while promoting full use of existing 

technology. A major initiative is the electronic-case-filing (eFiling) system that was initially 

implemented in FY 2012. The agency began accepting eFilings in FY 2013, and it seeks to 

fully implement an “end-to-end” electronic case file that will significantly streamline the 

processing and handling of cases, while reducing procedural deficiencies. Additional gains 

can be made through internal activities that promote skills development. One example is 

reverse-mentoring, where employees with a strong understanding of IT capabilities infuse 

their knowledge throughout the agency. 

Strategies: 

The following strategies outline activities that the FLRA will pursue to fully maximize the 

use of IT to gain efficiency: 

• Improve eFiling capability and maximize its use in receiving case filings

• Enhance employee technology usage and skills at every level

• Assess and develop in-house IT capabilities on an ongoing basis

• Achieve 100% electronic-records storage

• Develop and implement data-analytics tools to improve case processing, outreach, and 

internal operations 

Components Involved: 

• FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

o Administrative Services Division

o Information Resources Management Division

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP
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Performance Goals for Objective 3.2:

• Performance Goal 3.2.1: Improve eFiling capability and maximize its use in receiving 

case filings

• Performance Goal 3.2.2: Enhance employee technology usage and skills at every level

Objective 3.3: Act as an effective steward of agency resources 

The FLRA’s key resources are its employees and its appropriations. Both of these resources 

need to be carefully assessed, effectively managed, and prudently deployed. The strategies 

supporting this objective will provide leadership with the information necessary to make 

complex organizational decisions, while maximizing limited resources. This objective differs 

from the previous two, because it focuses on the allocation of resources and the supporting 

management practices. 

The FLRA’s leadership is committed to strategically and transparently managing the 

agency, while maintaining an environment that engages employees at all levels. The 

agency’s leadership will work to continue and build on the FLRA’s former success in the 

Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and the Partnership for Public Service’s “Best Places 

to Work in the Federal Government” rankings through initiatives like updating the 

employee performance-management process to better reflect desired organizational 

outcomes, enhancing effective employee development, and promoting fair employee 

recognition. 

The FLRA will also focus on creating greater alignment between administrative offices and 

program offices to strengthen performance and cohesion throughout the organization. 

Finally, it will monitor and modify these and other efforts to improve performance by 

renewing its focus on collecting and analyzing data to make effective decisions. 

Strategies: 

The following strategies will help improve the FLRA’s operations and drive increased 

mission performance: 

• Develop a workforce-planning system that will allow for optimal deployment of 

administrative and professional staff when resource needs increase in specific offices or 

regions

• Implement a performance-management process that encourages all FLRA employees to 

achieve objectives that lead to successful organizational outcomes

• Utilize a strategic-resource-planning process to inform the budget-planning cycle.

Components and External Partners: 

• FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

• FLRA OGC

• FLRA FSIP

• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

• Performance Improvement Council (PIC)

• Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
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Performance Goals for Objective 3.3:

• Performance Goal 3.3.1: Achieve high internal customer-service scores on delivery of 

administrative services

• Performance Goal 3.3.2: Meet or exceed established operational measures

• Performance Goal 3.3.3: Be a leader in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and in 

the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings
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MAJOR MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES, CHALLENGES, 

AND RISKS 

While the FLRA is committed to increasing government-wide effectiveness and efficiency, 

and improving service to its parties, there are external trends and challenges that pose a 

clear risk to overall mission delivery. These trends primarily include vacant positions, 

budget uncertainty, an increasing caseload, workforce challenges, and potential changes in 

legislation or regulation. 

After nearly four years without a General Counsel, the appointment of an Acting General 

Counsel has allowed ULP complaint processing to recommence. Now the FLRA is in a 

period of restoration of FTEs and funding. An always uncertain fiscal environment reduces 

the FLRA’s flexibility in making resource decisions, such as hiring additional staff to 

address the increasing caseload, dedicating additional resources to ADR and training, or 

investing in IT capabilities that will allow for more efficient case processing. To help 

mitigate budget risks throughout the FLRA rebuild, the FLRA must remain vigilant in 

focusing on effectively managing limited financial resources to position the agency to meet 

strategic priorities, a strategy that is addressed in Strategic Objective 3.3. 

The FLRA has experienced an exponentially increasing workload. Following President 

Biden’s Executive Order 14003, this trend is likely to continue over the next few years, 

thereby placing the FLRA in the continued position of needing to achieve more without a 

commensurate increase in resources. Ongoing attrition, coupled with future budget 

uncertainty and the increasing caseload, could potentially cause a loss of institutional 

knowledge and expertise. While the FLRA is known for its highly engaged workforce, future 

employees will likely have different expectations around technology and workplace 

flexibilities; left unaddressed, this could lead to recruitment and retention issues. Because 

the FLRA provides its services to over 2.1 million non-Postal federal employees worldwide, 

changes in legislation or regulations that affect the FLRA or other agencies, could lead to 

increases in case filings. Together, these trends could affect the agency’s ability to meet the 

goals outlined in this plan, and fulfill its mission under the Statute. The FLRA will 

continue to focus on its core values of transparency, accountability, open dialogue, and predecisional involvement, along with its increasing focus on the innovative use of resources 

and data-driven analysis, to maintain high levels of mission performance and employee 

engagement that contribute to an effective and efficient federal government. 

In recent years, the FLRA has made substantial progress in addressing and resolving three 

challenges identified by its Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The remaining challenges 

identified by the Inspector General include IT security and proper handling of records. The 

FLRA has dramatically improved its scores on National Archives and Records 

Administration metrics over the last two years. The FLRA has shown significant 

improvement from being a moderate risk to a low-risk agency. 

With respect to these ongoing challenges, the Office of the Executive Director, on behalf of 

the agency, has made and continues to make progress towards their resolution with the 

input of agency leadership, management, and employees and their representative union. 

Detailed information about the agency’s progress towards the OIG’s findings is reported 

annually in the PAR. 
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EVIDENCE BUILDING

Since 2009, the FLRA has routinely assessed program performance, with an emphasis on 

building evidence to support decision making and to drive innovative approaches 

throughout the agency. The FLRA remains committed to continuously building its research 

and evaluation base to help develop strategies for effectively achieving its mission and to 

inform budgetary allocations across the agency. As part of the FLRA’s focus on evidence, 

the Authority holds regular, data-driven management meetings regarding general case 

processing, where meaningful discussions occur around program performance, areas for 

improvement, and sharing of best practices across components. In addition to program 

performance, the FLRA frequently reviews its administrative services (IT, human 

resources, and financial management), including through use of internal-survey tools, and 

it seeks continuous improvement in internal-service delivery. 

The FLRA referenced evidence-based performance and resource trends in developing this 

strategic plan. Many of the agency’s future strategies focus on increasing the use of 

targeted data to maximize mission outcomes. A number of ongoing and planned 

evaluations, which are particularly informative in achieving the FLRA’s strategic goals and 

objectives, are summarized below. In conducting future studies and evaluations, the FLRA

may choose to deploy an internal task force to assess an organizational issue, conduct 

internal process reviews that will lead to efficiency gains, and/or conduct research on a topic 

of organizational importance for inclusion in outreach materials. The initiation and scope of 

these evaluations will be assessed throughout the strategic-plan period based on the 

availability of resources and the expected organizational impact. 

FUTURE EVALUATIONS

Possible studies and/or evaluations that the FLRA will undertake in support of its strategic 

goals include: 

• Study the deployment of a case-issuance strategy to identify possible efficiency gains

• Analyze current timeliness and quality standards to identify areas for innovation and 

improvement in processes and in updating standards

• Identify the most effective mechanisms for obtaining party feedback on the quality of 

the FLRA case-resolution process

• Analyze case-filing data to identify top targets for training initiatives

• Analyze case-filing data to identify the organizations that are designated as being 

“frequent filers” or having chronically contentious relationships
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APPENDIX: ABBREVIATIONS

ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution

ARB Arbitration*

CADRO Collaboration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Office 

eFiling Electronic-case-filing system 

FLRA Federal Labor Relations Authority 

FSIP Federal Service Impasses Panel, a body comprising a Chairman and 

at least six other Members appointed by the President

Impasse Bargaining Impasse* 

IT Information Technology 

NEG Negotiability* 

OALJ Office of Administrative Law Judges 

OGC Office of the General Counsel, headed by a presidentially appointed, 

Senate-confirmed attorney

OIG Office of the Inspector General 

OMB White House Office of Management and Budget 

OPM Office of Personnel Management 

PAR Performance and Accountability Report 

PIC Performance Improvement Council 

REP Representation* 

The agency Federal Labor Relations Authority

The Authority Body comprising three presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed 

Members 

The Statute Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute 

UAE Union of Authority Employees 

ULP Unfair Labor Practice*

( * denotes a specific type of case filed with the FLRA)