Forty years promoting and protecting labor-management 

relations for effective, efficient government.

FINAL

WWW.FLRA.GOV 

U.S. FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

UNITED STATES

FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

Congressional Budget Justification

Fiscal Year 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

U.S. FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY.......................................1

Background and Mission .................................................................................................................1

Organizational Structure ..................................................................................................................1

Agency Trends and Challenges .......................................................................................................4

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION ................................................................................13

Appropriations Language...............................................................................................................13

FY 2019 Funding Request .............................................................................................................13

Change from FY 2018 ...................................................................................................................14

Program and Financing Schedule ..................................................................................................15

Object Classification Schedule ......................................................................................................16

Employment Summary Schedule...................................................................................................16

Inspector General Resources..........................................................................................................17

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN....................................................................20

Strategic and Performance-Planning Framework ..........................................................................21

Goal 1.1.1: Produce Timely Review and Disposition of Unfair-Labor-Practice Cases ...............27

Goal 1.2.1: Resolve Overage Unfair-Labor-Practice Cases in a Timely Fashion ........................29

Goal 1.1.2: Produce Timely Review and Disposition of Representation Cases...........................30

Goal 1.2.2: Resolve Overage Representation Cases in a Timely Fashion....................................31

Goal 1.1.3: Produce Timely Review and Disposition of Arbitration Cases.................................32

Goal 1.2.3: Resolve Overage Arbitration Cases in a Timely Fashion..........................................33

Goal 1.1.4: Produce Timely Review and Disposition of Negotiability Cases..............................33

Goal 1.2.4: Resolve Overage Negotiability Cases in a Timely Fashion..............................34

Goal 1.1.5: Produce Timely Review and Disposition of Bargaining-Impasse Cases...................35

Goal 2.1.1: Provide Targeted Access to Training, Outreach, and Facilitation Activities within 

the Labor-Management Community.........................................................................36

Goal 2.2.1: Successfully Resolve a Significant Portion of FLRA Cases through ADR...............37

Goal 3.1.1: Recruit, Retain, and Develop a Highly Talented, Motivated, and Diverse

Workforce to Accomplish the FLRA’s Mission.......................................................40

Goal 3.2.1: Improve Use of Existing Technology and Deploy New IT Systems to

Streamline and Enhance Organizational Operations ................................................47

1

U.S. FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

BACKGROUND AND MISSION

The U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is responsible for establishing policies and 

guidance regarding the labor-management-relations program for 2.1 million non-Postal Federal 

employees worldwide, approximately 1.2 million of whom are represented in 2,200 bargaining 

units. The FLRA was created by Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, also known 

as the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute). The agency’s genesis 

dates from the issuance of Executive Order 10988 by President Kennedy in 1962. In 2012, the 

FLRA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Order, which established the first 

Government-wide, labor-management-relations program within the Federal Government. In 

1970, President Nixon established the Federal Labor Relations Council, by Executive 

Order 11491, to administer the Federal labor-management-relations program and to make final 

decisions on policy questions and major disputes arising under Executive Order 10988. 

Executive Order 11491, as amended, was the basis for President Carter’s proposal to the 

Congress to create the FLRA as an independent agency.

The Statute establishes management’s rights, employees’ rights, and union rights. For example, 

the Statute sets forth the authority of agency management to determine, among other things, the 

agency’s mission, budget, organization, number of employees, and internal security practices. It 

also establishes the rights of Federal employees to form, join, or assist a labor organization, or to 

refrain from such activity, freely and without fear of penalty or reprisal. It is the role of the 

FLRA to provide leadership in establishing policies, guidance, and case law relating to all of 

these statutory rights and responsibilities. 

The mission of the FLRA is to promote stable, constructive labor-management relations through 

the timely resolution and prevention of labor disputes in a manner that gives full effect to the 

collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies. Although the FLRA is a small 

agency, accomplishing its mission – including timely, quality, and impartial resolution of labormanagement disputes – is essential to and promotes the effectiveness and efficiency of program 

performance Government-wide. 

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The FLRA is organized into three statutory components – the Authority, the Office of the 

General Counsel (OGC), and the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) – each with unique 

adjudicative or prosecutorial roles. The agency also provides full program and staff support to 

two other organizations – the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board and the Foreign Service 

Impasse Disputes Panel.
2

The Authority

The Authority comprises three full-time, presidentially nominated and Senate-confirmed 

Members who are appointed for fixed, five-year, staggered terms. The President designates one 

Member to serve as Chairman. The Chairman acts as the agency’s chief executive and 

administrative officer. 

The Authority is responsible for adjudicating unfair labor practice (ULP) complaints, ruling on 

exceptions to arbitrators’ awards, resolving disputes over the negotiability of collectivebargaining proposals and provisions, and deciding applications for review of Regional Directors’ 

decisions in representation disputes.

Other program offices under the jurisdiction of the Authority include the Office of the Solicitor, 

the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), the Office of Case Intake and Publication 

(CIP), and the Collaboration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Office (CADRO). 

The Office of the Solicitor represents the FLRA in court proceedings before all U.S. courts, 

including the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the Federal District Courts. 

In this connection, parties aggrieved by certain Authority orders may institute an action for 

judicial review within 60 days after the order issues. The Authority may also seek enforcement 
3

of its orders, temporary relief, or restraining orders in the appropriate U.S. Courts of Appeals or 

Federal District Courts. The Office of the Solicitor also serves as the agency’s in-house counsel, 

providing legal advice to all FLRA components, and performs various functions under the 

Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. The Solicitor also serves as the Designated 

Agency Ethics Official.

The Authority Members appoint Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to hear and prepare 

recommended decisions in cases involving ULP complaints, as well as decisions involving 

applications for attorney fees filed pursuant to the Back Pay Act or the Equal Access to Justice 

Act. The OALJ – through its Settlement Judge Program – also provides ADR services in all 

ULP cases. Recommended decisions of the ALJs may be appealed to the Authority.

The Office of the General Counsel

The General Counsel, who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the 

Senate, has separate and independent responsibilities from the Authority. Under the Statute, the 

General Counsel has sole responsibility over the investigation and prosecution of ULP cases. 

The General Counsel’s determinations in these matters are final and unreviewable. The General 

Counsel has direct authority over, and responsibility for, all employees in the OGC, including 

those in the FLRA’s Regional Offices. Approximately 50 percent of the entire FLRA staff is 

employed in the regions, where all ULP charges and representation petitions are filed and 

investigated. The Regional Offices, on behalf of the General Counsel, investigate and resolve 

alleged ULP charges, file and prosecute ULP complaints, effectuate compliance with settlement 

agreements and Authority Orders, and provide training and ADR services. In addition, through 

delegation by the Authority, the Regional Offices investigate and resolve representation cases 

and conduct secret-ballot elections. 

The General Counsel has a small staff at FLRA Headquarters, located in Washington, D.C. 

Headquarters management provides administrative oversight; develops policies, guidance, 

procedures, and manuals that provide programmatic direction for the Regional Offices and 

training and education for the parties; and processes appeals from the Regional Offices’ 

dismissals of ULP charges. Each Regional Office is headed by a Regional Director who 

provides leadership and management expertise for the respective region. Collectively, the 

Regional Directors work with senior management throughout the FLRA to develop and 

implement policy and strategic initiatives to accomplish the FLRA mission. 
4

The Federal Service Impasses Panel

The FSIP resolves impasses between Federal agencies and unions representing Federal 

employees arising from collective-bargaining negotiations over conditions of employment under 

the Statute and the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act. The FSIP 

comprises seven part-time Presidential appointees – a Chairman and six other Members – who 

are appointed to fixed, five-year, staggered terms. 

If bargaining between the parties, followed by mediation assistance, does not result in a 

voluntary agreement, then either party or the parties, jointly, may request the FSIP’s assistance. 

Following a preliminary investigation by its staff, the FSIP may determine to assert jurisdiction 

over the request. If the FSIP asserts jurisdiction, then it has the authority to recommend or direct 

the use of various ADR procedures, including informal conferences, additional mediation, factfinding, written submissions, and mediation-arbitration by FSIP Members, the FSIP’s staff, or 

private arbitrators. If the parties are still unable to reach a voluntary settlement, then the FSIP 

may take whatever action it deems necessary to resolve the dispute, including imposition of 

contract terms through a final action. Parties may not appeal the merits of the FSIP’s decision to 

any court.

AGENCY TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

The FLRA’s mission is to promote stable, constructive labor-management relations through the 

timely and effective resolution and prevention of labor disputes in a manner that gives full effect 

to the collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies. It carries out its mission 

in a manner that meets the special obligations and needs of the Federal Government and is 

consistent with the requirement of an effective and efficient Government. 
5

Mission – Case Processing & ADR

With respect to mission accomplishment, the FLRA as a whole has shown tremendous ability to 

provide its customers with timely and quality adjudication and dispute-resolution services, while 

adapting to fluctuations in the number of case filings that it receives. And it has done so against 

a backdrop of relatively flat funding and staffing levels. In FY 2017, the FLRA met or exceeded 

nearly every mission-related performance goal, as it did in FY 2016. 

• Authority 

Consistent with the FLRA’s 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, the Authority changed its performance 

measures beginning in FY 2017 to shorten case-processing times – from 180 days to 150 days in 

75 percent of non-representation cases. In FY 2017, the Authority also implemented measures 

for ensuring that the cases not “captured” by those 75 percent targets do not go significantly 

overage. The new measure is to ensure that 95 percent of all cases issue within 365 days.

The Authority’s FY 2016 performance successes placed it in a position to more efficiently and 

expeditiously process all of its cases in FY 2017 – and continuing into FY 2018. 

In FY 2017, the Authority met its new target of 150 days in 79 percent of arbitration cases, 

50 percent of ULP cases, and 75 percent of negotiability cases. And it is meeting its 365-day 

target in 100 percent of all cases. Further, as in previous years, the Authority continued to meet 

the statutory requirement of addressing 100 percent of representation cases within 60 days of an 

application for review from a Regional Director’s determination. 

It is important to note that, for nearly a full year beginning on January 3, 2017, the Authority had 

only two of its three presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed Members in place. Although 

Member staffs continued to prepare draft decisions, when the two current Members were unable 

to reach consensus on the disposition of a case, no decision could issue. Those cases were held 

in “abeyance” until the new Members of the Authority were confirmed by the Senate and sworn 

in on December 11, 2017. Accordingly, the Authority began FY 2018 with a significant backlog 

of cases – 60 percent of its inventory – in contrast to the beginning of FY 2017, which the 

Authority began with no backlog and only one “overage” case. 

In FY 2017, the Authority continued to demonstrate its commitment to fulfilling its statutory 

mission of providing guidance to the labor-management-relations community. To that end, the 

Authority continued to review and make regular updates to its Comprehensive Arbitration 

Training and Comprehensive Negotiability Training programs, including instructional slides, 

interactive exercises, and other handouts. Of note, the Authority divided the Negotiability 

Training into two separate full-day sessions – Navigating the Negotiability Process and 

Negotiability In Depth: Management Rights and Beyond – to very positive reviews. Moreover, 

in FY 2018, the Authority will continue to update its other educational tools, specifically, its 

comprehensive Guide to Arbitration under the Statute, which provides guidance to arbitrators 

and parties to arbitration cases – the most common case type filed with the Authority.

The OALJ – also part of the Authority – met or exceeded all of its performance goals in 

FY 2017. The OALJ encourages Federal unions, agencies, and OGC representatives to utilize its 
6

Settlement Judge Program, which has been historically successful in resolving cases without the 

need for costly litigation involving a hearing or written decisions. In FY 2017, the Settlement 

Judge Program offered settlement assistance to 100 percent of the parties involved in ULP cases. 

And, of the cases in which the parties accepted settlement assistance, nearly 95 percent were 

resolved without a hearing. This reduced the number of adversarial hearings needed to 14. In 

addition, the OALJ resolved 93 percent of all ULP cases, including those that required an 

adversarial hearing, within 180 days. As a result, Federal agencies and unions received timely 

resolution of their labor disputes, which facilitates and improves employee performance and 

creates a more effective and efficient Federal Government. Further, the OALJ issued decisions 

on 98 percent of ULP cases within 365 days of the complaint being issued. 

CADRO is also part of the Authority, and it primarily assists Federal agencies, and the unions 

that represent Federal employees, in resolving negotiability disputes. Once again in FY 2017, 

100 percent of negotiability cases in which the parties mutually agreed to use CADRO resulted 

in full or partial resolution of the underlying dispute and closure of the pending case – exceeding 

the goal of 90 percent in that category. CADRO helped parties in more than 30 cases resolve 

more than 200 distinct negotiability questions (proposals or provisions). 

Almost all of the cases that CADRO resolves would have otherwise required decisions by the 

Authority. For example, during FY 2017, a union representing thousands of public-safetyrelated employees in a cabinet-level agency presented CADRO with 15 separate cases containing 

119 negotiability and bargaining-obligation disputes. CADRO not only helped the parties 

resolve every individual dispute and complete their underlying collective-bargaining agreements, 

but also supported the parties at the national level as they constructed global solutions to 

ultimately prevent similar disputes from arising in the future. As a result, the parties averted 

additional costly litigation, implementation delays, and associated adverse impact on mission and 

quality of work life. 

• OGC

The OGC continued delivering strong results in FY 2017. The OGC met its strategic 

performance goals for the timely resolution of ULP and representation cases (resolving 

73 percent or 2,984 of all ULP cases within 120 days of the filing date and 68 percent or 

179 representation cases within 120 days of filing) and continued closing cases at increased 

rates. 

In conjunction with the OGC’s emphasis on resolving cases in a timely and high-quality manner, 

the OGC has continued to offer voluntary ADR services to resolve cases. This is particularly 

important as the OGC has the largest case intake among all of the FLRA components (handling 

over three quarters of the FLRA’s total case intake) and is the FLRA component with which the 

parties have the most direct contact. The beneficial effects of voluntary resolutions are obvious, 

and they advance the effective and efficient utilization of Government resources. 

In FY 2017, the OGC resolved over 780 ULP cases by voluntary settlement during the

investigative process. In addition, the OGC resolved 100 percent of the ULP cases and over 

98 percent of the representation cases in which the parties agreed to use the OGC’s ADR 
7

services. These successful voluntary ADR efforts resulted in significant savings of 

Governmental staff and budgetary resources. For example, during FY 2017, the OGC 

successfully employed ADR to resolve several clarification-of-unit petitions involving over 

300 positions. The parties in these cases requested that the OGC provide ADR services with an 

eye toward avoiding the formal hearing process (on-the-record hearing, followed by briefing, and 

issuance of a formal decision with appeal rights). The OGC met with the parties involved in 

these cases and through a combination of educating the parties on the applicable legal standards, 

obtaining information concerning the duties and responsibilities of the positions in dispute and 

facilitating a constructive dialogue and review of the positions at issue, the parties were able to 

consensually resolve all of the positions in dispute. By working cooperatively with the parties in 

these cases, the OGC was able to use ADR to resolve these cases quickly and efficiently sparing 

the parties and the agency the expense and time of the formal adjudication process.

• FSIP

In FY 2017, the FSIP again exceeded all of its timeliness goals for assisting parties in resolving 

their bargaining-impasse disputes. The most common types of impasses involved impact-andimplementation negotiations over changes in agency policies or procedures, as well as 

negotiations over successor collective-bargaining agreements, which arise when the current 

collective-bargaining agreement has expired, or is about to expire. Both types of disputes are 

critical and time-sensitive. Impact-and-implementation-bargaining disputes often involve 

negotiations over agency changes to policy or procedure to improve efficiency in the delivery of 

its mission. Successful and timely resolution of the impasse allows the parties to move forward 

in implementing the proposed change. 

Both the number and types of issues presented in requests for FSIP assistance can vary greatly 

from case to case. But the most common issues that the parties asked the FSIP to assist with in 

FY 2017 involved work schedules, including the establishment and termination of compressed 

and alternative work schedules. Other common issues included negotiations over personnel 

policies and matters, and office-space-related matters: how much work space will be allocated to 

employees; office layout; and equipment. 

The FSIP is free to use whatever methods and procedures it considers appropriate for quickly 

and effectively resolving the dispute. The FSIP most commonly resolved impasse disputes using 

mediation-arbitration proceedings or informal conferences conducted by FSIP 

Members. Mediation-arbitrations and informal conferences are processes that allow the assigned 

FSIP Member to begin work on the case as a neutral mediator seeking to help the parties reach 

voluntary resolution of their dispute – meeting with parties, conveying proposals and 

counterproposals, suggesting compromises, and otherwise seeking to bridge the gap between the 

parties. But if those mediation efforts are not successful in achieving a voluntary settlement, 

then, in the Mediation-Arbitration procedure, the FSIP Member takes on the mantle of an 

arbitrator, conducting a hearing and issuing a final and binding Arbitration Opinion and Decision 

that resolves the bargaining impasse. In the Informal Conference procedure, if voluntary 

settlement is not achieved, the full FSIP Panel considers the recommendation of the Panel 

member and issues a written decision resolving the outstanding issues.
8

In cases where the FSIP used Mediation-Arbitration or Informal Conferences to resolve 

Federal-sector impasses, it obtained complete, voluntary settlements over 85 percent of the 

time. As a result of this high percentage of voluntary settlements, in FY 2017, the FSIP 

Members imposed contract terms on the parties in only 7 cases – approximately 7 percent of the 

FSIP’s caseload. The remainder of the FSIP’s cases where the Panel determined to assert 

jurisdiction were voluntarily withdrawn or settled by the parties – achieving the most ideal 

solution.

Mission Accomplishment – Providing Training and Education across the Federal Government

Consistent with its strategic goals, in FY 2017, the FLRA continued to promote stability in the 

Federal labor-management community by providing leadership and guidance through education 

and reference resources, including the launch of its redesigned website (www.FLRA.gov), 

web-based and in-person trainings, and the release and update of substantive guides and 

manuals. 

With the launch of its redesigned website last year – including improvements to the site’s 

appearance, organizational structure, and revision of all substantive content – the FLRA now 

provides a truly user-friendly, empowering resource for parties to FLRA cases and the broader 

Federal-sector labor-management community. Addressing feedback from both internal and 

external customers that they were often unable to locate the case-related information that they 

were seeking or that it took too many mouse clicks to access, the FLRA developed a more 

intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible organizational structure based on the case types that the 

various program offices within the FLRA process. That is, rather than site visitors having to 

know which office does what and at which particular stage during a case, now they have only to 

search by the case type, and they will find descriptions of each office’s unique functions in that 

context. The new site is fully “integrated”: Every FLRA training opportunity, written guide, or 

manual is now available on one centralized page, rather than on office-specific pages. And there 

is even an online tool that allows customers, for the first time, to register for all FLRA training 

events directly through the website. Additionally, as part of this initiative, the FLRA made 

electronically available to its customers relevant “archival” and other materials (e.g., decisions of 

predecessor agencies, legislative history of the agency’s implementing Statute, decisions of the 

Foreign Service Labor Relations Board) that had previously been unavailable outside of the 

FLRA’s physical library location. Feedback on the new site is universally positive, and the 

agency and its customers have reaped – and will continue to reap – dividends from the 

improvement to the overall customer experience for years to come. 

The FLRA continued to provide web-based and in-person training nationwide to members of the 

Federal-sector labor-management community – union representatives, agency representatives, 

and neutrals – in all aspects of its case law and processes. In FY 2017, the FLRA, as a whole, 

provided nearly 275 training, outreach, and facilitation sessions to over 8,100 participants. Just 

over the last 5 years, the FLRA has provided nearly 1,400 such sessions to nearly 36,000 

participants worldwide. The Authority, the OGC, and the FSIP provided training at several 

nationwide, annual conferences, including the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations 

Professionals (SFLERP) symposium and the Federal Dispute Resolution (FDR) conference. 
9

These sessions included presentations of newly prepared materials of current relevance, as well 

as updated materials for more standard sessions. 

In addition, the Authority delivered its own training programs to approximately 300 Federalsector union representatives, agency representatives, neutrals, and new Authority attorneys in 

FY 2017. This included several, full-day sessions of Comprehensive Arbitration Training and 

Comprehensive Negotiability Training using, as noted above, updated training materials 

(including instructional slides, interactive exercises, and other handouts). In particular, because 

negotiability cases have the highest rate of procedural dismissals of any type of case filed with 

the Authority, the negotiability training is intended to meet the goals of helping the parties 

to: comply with the Authority’s regulatory procedural requirements (thus reducing caseprocessing time); file their cases in a different, appropriate forum when necessary; and use ADR 

to avoid costly litigation. The overwhelmingly positive feedback received from participants in 

these sessions indicates that these trainings produced the desired results and will further the 

above goals in future cases. Moreover, the Authority Members all personally conducted various 

training sessions on arbitration cases and other topics of interest to the Federal-sector labormanagement community, including in conjunction with SFLERP, FDR, the FMCS, and the 

National Academy of Arbitrators.

The OGC continued to focus its training efforts on the front lines, where the work is done and 

where its efforts can have immediate and lasting effect. By bringing its training services directly 

to the parties, the OGC educates management and labor representatives on their rights and 

responsibilities under the Statute, thereby empowering them to more effectively and efficiently 

avoid – and if necessary, resolve – workplace disputes at the lowest level. 

In FY 2017, the OGC conducted over 70 training sessions reaching over 3,600 managers and 

employees. The OGC also continued providing the parties with up-to-date and topical webbased resources, including revisions to its Representation Case Law Outline, ULP Case Law 

Outline and Guidance on Meetings, which are the “go-to” resources for the Federal-sector 

labor-management relations community and have elicited much favorable feedback.

Executive Branch Reform and Workforce Reshaping 

Consistent with Executive Order 13781, Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive 

Branch, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-17-22, Comprehensive 

Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce, the 

FLRA developed agency reform proposals and a long-term workforce plan focused on improving 

the agency’s efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. 

• Executive Branch Reform

Executive Order 13781 and the OMB guidance provided the agency with a real opportunity to 

take a close look at its structure and operations, and to implement solutions for streamlining and 

reducing costs across the FLRA. 
10

The FLRA has already reduced its agency-wide travel budget by 25% – across the board. With 

increased technology, especially video conferencing (VTC), the agency expects to be able to 

maintain and even further reduce this expense without any adverse effect on the mission. 

 

The agency has also reduced its employee-training budget by 25% – across the board. The 

FLRA is committed to working internally, and partnering with its sister agencies, to provide 

employees with relevant, mission-related training and to maximize training opportunities for 

employees. Further, as succession planning was a priority for the agency’s previous leadership 

due to retirements in many high-level positions that have since been filled, and given the relative 

junior status of the current workforce, there is a reduced need to obtain expensive executive-level 

training. 

In addition, the FLRA will continue its ongoing efforts to implement fully electronic case files 

throughout the agency by the end of FY 2019, which will enable it to complete a number of other 

initiatives that will reduce costs and make the FLRA more efficient. Once electronic case files 

are in place, the FLRA: (1) will be able to reduce its U.S. Mail costs agency-wide by 

implementing electronic service of case-related documents by the FLRA on the parties; (2) plans 

to reduce FedEx shipping costs associated with transferring hard-copy case files across the 

Regions and HQ; (3) will launch a pilot program – and eventually mandate (with only very 

limited exceptions) – to require that FLRA parties file all case documents with the agency 

electronically. 

Further, in the Authority Component, the Members have already permanently implemented 

electronic voting on cases, which reduced the burden on administrative staff and allows votes to 

be shared immediately. 

The agency has also committed to other administrative efforts. For example, rather than 

outsourcing, the FLRA successfully used its own in-house IT staff to develop a new agency 

intranet site – saving a $65,000 one-time cost and $10,000 annually. Where appropriate, the 

agency will continue to tap existing government-wide shared-services solutions, like those that it 

already uses for payroll, financial services, and travel. It will continue to seek out and utilize 

existing government-wide procurement solutions and contracting flexibilities. These include 

using a General Services Administration (GSA)-approved vendor that the agency otherwise 

would not have found for its eFiling and Case Management projects, and piggybacking on the 

Library of Congress’s FEDLINK contracting tool to procure Westlaw services more easily. 

The FLRA is engaging in more effective property and records management. This includes 

regularly and routinely taking inventory of all of its equipment and building a robust recordsmanagement program, that will, among things, ensure that the agency is not spending more than 

it needs to store equipment or archived hard-copy case files. 

Another reform that the FLRA is committed to implementing is a consolidation of its existing 

OGC Regional Office structure and a reorganization of its OGC staff and workload. Currently, 

the OGC comprises a headquarters location in Washington, D.C., and seven Regional Offices in 

Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; 

San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C. (co-located with OGC HQ). By regulation, the 

Authority Members have to vote on any decision to close Regional Offices Appendix B to 
11

5 C.F.R. Chapter XIV (“the establishment, transfer, or elimination of any Regional Office or 

non-Regional Office duty location may be accomplished only with the approval of the 

Authority”). 

Consistent with Government-wide mandates and the agency’s own ongoing efforts to reduce or 

eliminate rental costs since 2010, the agency’s physical footprint and its OGC Regional Office 

structure were logical places to look for additional cost savings. The FLRA has already 

systematically “reduced its footprint” in recent years by reducing the size of its Headquarters 

(HQ) by approximately 12,000 square feet in FY 2014, and its Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, 

Denver, and Dallas Regional Offices over the last four years – as those leases expired. These 

reductions in space have either reduced annual rent costs or allowed the FLRA to avoid the costs 

of what would have otherwise been fairly significant rent increases. 

After reviewing potential costs and efficiencies, the FLRA reduced its Regional Office structure 

in the 1990s – consolidating 9 Regional Offices into 7 – by closing Regional Offices in New 

York, New York and Los Angeles, California. Again, based on workload, costs, and operating 

efficiencies gained from technological advances, a majority of the Authority Members has voted 

to further consolidate its Regional Office structure by reducing the number of Regional Offices 

from the current 7 to 5 located in: Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; San 

Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C. This would result in closure of the FLRA’s Boston 

and Dallas Regional Offices, and it would directly affect 16 employees – 9 in Boston and 7 in 

Dallas – and result in the abolishment of 5 positions. However, all directly affected employees 

will be offered reassignment within the agency – either to another Regional Office or to 

Headquarters. 

Based on 5-year averages, Boston and Dallas currently have the lowest case intake. Rent for the 

Boston Regional Office is significantly higher per square foot than all of the FLRA’s other 

Regional Offices, and, for this reason, the FLRA has previously contemplated closing this office 

in past years. And, as a practical matter, closure of that office will result in displacement of, and 

relocation payments for, fewer employees. 

In addition to offering reassignments to directly affected employees, the agency will also be 

offering Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) – which OPM has already approved – in 

order to maximize relocation opportunities for the directly affected employees. That is, 

vacancies that arise from VERA may create additional slots for Boston and Dallas employees to 

land. Because the agency is not attempting to reduce employees from its rolls through this 

reorganization, it has determined that Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) authority 

is not appropriate, and it will not be requesting that authority. 

Anyone who accepts VERA will be expected to retire by September 30, 2018. The Boston and 

Dallas physical office spaces will also be closed by September 30, 2018. But actual employee 

relocations may spill over into FY 2019 depending on funding. Procedural amendments will 

need to be made to the FLRA’s regulations in order to adjust the geographic jurisdiction of each 

of the remaining 5 Regional Offices. This will be initiated no later than July 30, 2018. 
12

• Workforce Reshaping

The mission accomplishments cited above are particularly noteworthy because the FLRA 

operated with 20 vacant positions throughout most of FY 2016 and FY 2017. Eighteen of those 

positions were career positions, with the majority resting within the Office of the Executive 

Director. 

Consistent with the Administration’s goal of comprehensive Government reform and workforce 

reshaping, the agency has undertaken a thorough evaluation and prioritization of every vacancy 

that it has filled since the Government-wide hiring freeze was lifted. When the President 

implemented the freeze in January 2017, the agency had 20 vacant positions. During the freeze, 

agency leadership took a hard look at every vacancy. It identified 9 critical positions that should 

be filled, and it decided not to fill 12 unfilled positions and permanently took them “off the 

books.” Most of those “lost” positions were within the Authority Component – the Office of the 

Executive Director, the Member Staffs, Case Intake & Publication, and CADRO. The Federal 

Service Impasses Panel has also lost a position. 

In FY 2018, the agency expects to operate with 128 FTEs, reflecting a total decrease of 12 FTEs 

from its FY 2016 anticipated staffing level of 140 FTEs – or a nearly 10 percent reduction of its 

already small workforce. In FY 2019, the agency plans to operate with 125 FTEs, and it expects 

to eliminate those 3 additional positions through attrition. This is a reduction of 10 FTEs from 

the agency’s actual on-board count of 135 FTEs in FY 2015. FLRA leadership is confident that 

it can continue to meet mission and operational needs at this staffing level. 
13

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

APPROPRIATIONS LANGUAGE

FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

For necessary expenses to carry out functions of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, pursuant 

to Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1978, and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, 

including services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and including hire of experts and consultants, 

hire of passenger motor vehicles, and including official reception and representation expenses 

(not to exceed $1,500) and rental of conference rooms in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, 

$26,200,000: Provided, That public members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel may be 

paid travel expenses and per diem in lieu of subsistence as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5703) for 

persons employed intermittently in the Government service, and compensation as authorized by 

5 U.S.C. 3109: Provided further, That, notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, funds received from 

fees charged to non-Federal participants at labor-management relations conferences shall be 

credited to and merged with this account, to be available without further appropriation for the 

costs of carrying out these conferences.

FY 2019 FUNDING REQUEST

The FLRA requests $26,200,000 in FY 2019 to fund employee salaries and related operating 

expenses necessary to meet its annual performance targets. The agency’s FY 2019 request will 

fund 125 full-time equivalents (FTEs). 

(In thousands of dollars)

Program Activity

FY 2017 

Actual

FY 2018 

Estimated

FY 2019 

Request

Change 

from 

FY 2018

Authority $14,581 $14,281 $14,395 $114

Office of the General Counsel 10,794 10,676 10,749 $73

Federal Service Impasses Panel 843 1,065 1,056 -$9

Direct Obligations $26,218 $26,022 $26,200 $178

FTEs 119 128 125 (3)
14

The requested FY 2019 funding level incorporates cost-savings measures initiated over the past 

several years to increase program effectiveness and to reduce fragmentation, overlap, and 

duplication. For example, when the previous FLRA Headquarters lease in Washington, D.C. 

expired in FY 2013, and, in response to growing participation in the agency telework program, 

the FLRA reduced the size of its Headquarters location by approximately 12,000 square feet, 

commencing with the new lease term. It has continued to do so as each of its leases expire. 

In addition, the initial launch of the FLRA’s modernized website in 2009, and continual 

enhancements to the site, including a 2016 redesign, have allowed the agency to provide timely 

and accurate information to its customers – other Federal agencies, Federal unions, Federal 

employees, and neutrals – including FLRA decisions, legal guidance and memorandums, policy 

documents, legal training and resources, and difficult-to-find archival materials. 

The 125 FTE that the requested FY 2019 funding level will fund reflects a net loss of 3 FTE over 

FY 2018, which is anticipated to be achieved through a combination of attrition and voluntary 

early retirements. As noted above on page 5, consistent with the Administration’s goal of 

comprehensive Government reform and workforce reshaping, the agency has undertaken a 

thorough evaluation and prioritization of every vacancy that it has filled since the 

government-wide hiring freeze. Although there were 140 positions on the books in FY 2017 that 

the agency anticipated filling, it operated with only 119 of them filled throughout most of FY

2017. That is, the agency carried over 20 vacant positions and expected employees to “do more 

with less” during that time. The agency identified 9 critical positions that should be filled, and it 

eliminated the remaining positions. It is therefore planning to operate with 128 FTEs in 

FY 2018, reflecting a total decrease of 12 FTEs – or nearly 10 percent of its already small 

workforce.

CHANGE FROM FY 2018

The requested funding level for FY 2019 includes no increase over FY 2018. 

Personnel Compensation and Benefits

The FY 2019 request foregoes a pay increase in calendar year 2019.
15

PROGRAM AND FINANCING SCHEDULE

(In thousands of dollars)

FY 2017 

Actual

FY 2018 

Estimate

FY 2019 

Request

Budgetary resources:

Unobligated balance (total) 1,245 1,341 1,341

Appropriation, discretionary (total) 26,200 26,022 26,200

Spending authority from offsetting collections, 

discretionary (total) 27 100 0

Total budgetary resources 27,472 27,463 27,541

Status of budgetary resources:

Direct obligations (total) 26,191 26,022 26,200

Reimbursable obligations (total) 27 100 0

New obligations and upward adjustments (total) 26,218 26,122 26,200

Unobligated balance, end of year 1,254 1,314 1,314

Total budgetary resources 27,472 27,436 27,514

Change in obligated balance:

Obligated balance, start of year 3,132 3,132 3,132

Obligated balance, end of year 3,727 3,132 3,132

Budget authority and outlays, net:

Budget authority, gross 26,227 26,022 26,200

Outlays, gross (total) 25,492 26,022 26,000

Offsets against gross budget authority and outlays 

(total) (33) (31) 0

Additional offsets against budget authority only 

(total)

61 10 0

Budget authority, net (discretionary) 26,200 26,022 26,200

Outlays, net (discretionary) 26,458 26,000 26,000
16

OBJECT CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE

(In thousands of dollars)

FY 2017 

Actual

FY 2018 

Estimate

FY 2019 

Request

Direct obligations:

Personnel compensation:

Full-time permanent $14,723 $14,254 $14,415

Other than full-time permanent 198 532 571

Other personnel compensation 11 380 407

Total personnel compensation 14,932 15,166 15,393

Civilian personnel benefits 4,717 4,732 4,771

Travel and transportation of persons 107 165 165

Transportation of things 11 12 12

Rental payments to GSA 2,573 2,662 2,662

Communications, utilities, and misc. charges 403 322 325

Printing and reproduction 7 14 14

Other services from non-federal sources 1,839 1,800 1,655

Other goods and services from Federal sources 867 845 895

Operation and maintenance of facilities 1 4 4

Operation and maintenance of equipment 422 89 93

Supplies and materials 222 121 121

Equipment 90 90 90

Direct obligations $26,191 $26,022 $26,200

Reimbursable obligations:

Travel and transportation of persons 27 100 

Reimbursable obligations 27 100 

Total new obligations $26,218 $26,122 $26,200

EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY SCHEDULE

FY 2017 

Actual

FY 2018 

Estimate

FY 2019 

Request

Direct civilian full-time equivalent employment 119 128 125
17

INSPECTOR GENERAL RESOURCES

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) provides independent and objective assessments of 

the FLRA’s efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with laws and regulations. This is 

accomplished through proactive evaluations of agency operational processes. In addition to 

striving to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse of the FLRA’s resources and operations, a 

key goal of the Inspector General (IG) is to serve as a catalyst for improving operations and 

maximizing the efficiency and integrity of agency programs.

In fulfilling these responsibilities and objectives, the IG conducts and supervises investigations, 

internal reviews, audits, and evaluations of the programs and operations of the agency. The IG 

communicates the results of investigations and assessments to FLRA management, the Congress, 

other oversight entities, and the public, as appropriate. Generally, the IG communicates results 

in formal reports that contain findings and recommendations aimed at correcting any deficiencies 

identified and promoting efficiency and effectiveness in agency programs and operations. The 

IG also manages a hotline to provide employees and the public with a direct means for 

confidentially communicating information on potential fraud, waste, or abuse.

The FLRA’s FY 2019 funding request includes $626,961 for the OIG. The funding level 

requested by the IG, including $8,000 for training and $1,876 to support the Council of the 

Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) has been funded in total. The IG has 

certified that the FLRA’s funding request for the OIG satisfies all training requirements for 

FY 2019.
18

August 4, 2017

The Inspector General Reform Act (Pub. L. 110-149) was signed by the President on October 14, 

2008. Section 6(f) (1) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. app. 3, was amended to 

require certain specifications concerning Office of Inspector General (OIG) budget submissions 

each fiscal year (FY). 

Each inspector general (IG) is required to transmit a budget request to the head of the 

establishment or designated Federal entity to which the IG reports specifying:

• The aggregate amount of funds requested for the operations of the OIG, 

• The portion of this amount requested for OIG training, including a certification from the 

IG that the amount requested satisfies all OIG training requirements for the fiscal year, 

and 

• The portion of this amount necessary to support the Council of the Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).

The head of each establishment or designated Federal entity, in transmitting a proposed budget to 

the President for approval, shall include:

• An aggregate request for the OIG, 

• The portion of this aggregate request for OIG training,

• The portion of this aggregate request for support of the CIGIE, and

• Any comments of the affected IG with respect to the proposal.

The President shall include in each budget of the U.S. Government submitted to Congress. 

• A separate statement of the budget estimate submitted by each IG,

• The amount requested by the President for each OIG,

• The amount requested by the President for training of OIGs ,

• The amount requested by the President for support of the CIGIE, and 

• Any comments of the affected IG with respect to the proposal if the IG concludes that the 

budget submitted by the President would substantially inhibit the IG from performing 

duties of the OIG.

Following the requirements as specified above, the Federal Labor Relations Authority Inspector 

General submits the following information relating to the OIG’s requested budget for FY 2019:

INSPECTOR GENERAL

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20424-0001
19

• The aggregate budget request for the operations of the OIG is $626,961,

• The portion of this amount needed for OIG training is $8,000, and

• The portion of this amount needed to support the CIGIE is $ 1,876. 

I certify as the IG of the Federal Labor Relations Authority that the amount I have requested for 

training satisfies all OIG training needs for FY 2019.

Inspector General

Federal Labor Relations Authority
20

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN

STRATEGIC AND PERFORMANCE-PLANNING FRAMEWORK

Through comprehensive review of its operations, staffing, work processes, resource allocations, 

and performance, the FLRA has established strategies and goals that are designed to maximize 

the delivery of agency services throughout the Federal Government. The FLRA engages in 

continuous strategic assessment of performance and other data to ensure that it is accomplishing 

its mission effectively and efficiently.

 

The FLRA’s FY 2019 strategic performance-planning framework is currently based on the 

agency’s FY 2015 - 2018 Strategic Plan, and it is supported by the agency’s Annual Performance 

Plan, which establishes the agency’s annual performance goals and measures. The Annual 

Performance Plan reflects the agency’s commitment to establishing meaningful metrics that will 

assist in assessing performance outcomes, aligning resources, and effectively identifying staffing 

and training needs. Consistent with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 

Modernization Act of 2010, the FLRA has begun development of a new strategic plan – that will 

run at least through 2022. Until that new plan is finalized, the FLRA’s FY 2015 - 2018 Strategic 

Plan will remain in effect. 

Consistent with ongoing Government-wide efforts to leverage data to facilitate agencies’ 

programmatic work, the FLRA continually and strategically monitors its progress in 

accomplishing the goals and measures set forth in the Annual Performance Plan. This ongoing, 

agency-wide review is conducted on a monthly basis with distribution of the Monthly Analysis 

of Performance and Status (MAPS) Report, which contains statistical case and performance data 

derived from the FLRA’s Case Management System (CMS) and agency management. The 

agency examines the data contained in the MAPS Report in a variety of forums. At the 

component and office levels, there are also daily performance assessments using a variety of 

reports, including: case-filing reports, which track the number and age of cases; case-status 

reports, which track the status of all assigned pending cases within the Authority, the OGC, and 

the FSIP; and monthly disposition reports, which track the number, age, and resolution type of 

every closed case within the Authority and the OGC. 

The analysis and assessment of these reports drive, among other things: decisions to target 

services (including training, facilitations, and on-site investigations) to certain parties or 

geographical locations; adjustments in workload through case transfers at the national, regional, 

and office levels; and reallocation of resources, including use of details, contract support, and 

temporary hires. 
21

The FLRA seeks to achieve its strategic goals primarily through the timely, high-quality, and 

impartial review and disposition of cases. The agency supplements these efforts with a focus on 

reducing litigation and its attendant costs by helping parties to resolve their own disputes through 

collaboration, ADR, education, and labor-management-cooperation activities. Further 

supporting these efforts is the FLRA’s focus on internal improvements in IT and more effective 

and efficient use of human capital. 
22

FY 2019 Performance Goals 

1.1.1: Produce timely review and disposition of unfair-labor-practice cases.

1.2.1: Resolve overage unfair-labor-practice cases in a timely fashion.

1.1.2: Produce timely review and disposition of representation cases.

1.2.2: Resolve overage representation cases in a timely fashion.

1.1.3: Produce timely review and disposition of arbitration cases.

1.2.3: Resolve overage arbitration cases in a timely fashion.

1.1.4: Produce timely review and disposition of negotiability cases.

1.2.4: Resolve overage negotiability cases in a timely fashion.

1.1.5: Produce timely review and disposition of bargaining-impasse cases.

2.1.1: Provide targeted access to training, outreach, and facilitation activities within the labormanagement community. 

2.2.1: Successfully resolve a significant portion of FLRA cases through ADR.

3.1.1: Recruit, retain, and develop a highly talented, motivated, and diverse workforce to 

accomplish the FLRA’s mission. 

3.1.2: Improve use of existing technology and deploy new IT systems to streamline and 

enhance organizational operations. 

Timeliness and Quality

Continued improvements in the timeliness of case disposition further the FLRA’s critical role in 

contributing to orderly, effective, and efficient change within the Federal Government. In large 

part, the FLRA exists to promote effective labor-management relations that, in turn, permit 

improved employee performance and Government operations. Timely resolution – or avoidance –

of FLRA cases is critical to this endeavor. And effective case resolution includes not only 

timeliness, but also: effective process execution; clear communication with the parties around case 

processes; and the issuance of well-written and understandable decisions that provide deliberate, 

impartial, and legally sound analyses and consideration of the issues in dispute.

Unless management and labor can collaboratively resolve their disputes and avoid litigation or –

failing that – have their disagreements adjudicated expeditiously by the FLRA, mission 

performance will suffer. This is particularly relevant now as Federal agencies are making 

significant adjustments and changes in how they perform their missions in response to the 

budgetary and policy challenges that they are facing.

Alternative Dispute Resolution and Education

Throughout the years, the Authority, the OGC, and the FSIP have not only recognized the many 

benefits associated with using ADR to resolve workplace disputes, but they have also integrated 

ADR techniques into all aspects of case processing. Put simply, offering ADR services in every 

case results in faster, more effective outcomes for the parties and the FLRA. For this reason, the 
23

agency continues to leverage existing staff and resources to increase its ADR reach. This includes 

partnering with other agencies and entities – such as the Federal Mediation and Conciliation 

Service (FMCS), the Federal Executive Boards, and the General Services Administration (GSA) –

to train large numbers of practitioners.

In addition, the FLRA’s training initiatives are intended to make case processing more effective 

and efficient, and to better serve the FLRA’s customers by providing meaningful and clear 

guidance on statutory rights and responsibilities. Timely and efficient case processing is furthered 

by FLRA customers being knowledgeable about their rights and obligations under the Statute, as 

well as FLRA case law, regulations, and case-processing procedures. The FLRA delivers its 

educational materials through a variety of means, such as: in-person training sessions; 

comprehensive, web-based training modules; and case outlines, manuals, and subject-matter 

guides that are easily accessible on www.FLRA.gov. All of these materials have been developed 

to assist members of the Federal labor-management-relations community with issues and cases 

arising under the Statute. Using collaboration and ADR techniques – alone or in conjunction with 

other training, outreach, and facilitation services – to assist parties in minimizing or resolving 

labor-management disputes significantly reduces the need for litigation and its attendant costs, and 

it gets the parties back to work accomplishing their missions and delivering effective and efficient 

Government services.

Information Technology (IT)

Consistent with the FLRA’s Strategic Plan, IT and automation of agency processes continue to 

be key areas of focus for the agency. Both are fundamental for ensuring the cost effectiveness 

and efficiency of the FLRA, as measured by the agency’s ability to meet its annual performance 

goals. The agency continues to improve its overall effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the 

customer-service experience, by engaging in new and innovative ways to conduct business, such 

as through electronic case filing (eFiling). In addition, the agency has placed significant 

emphasis on IT modernization to ensure that its IT equipment and infrastructure enable it to 

maximize gains in efficiency that can be achieved through use of technology.

In FY 2017, the FLRA also continued to work towards its long-term goal of implementing endto-end electronic case files throughout the FLRA and complying with the OMB-mandated target 

of having fully electronic files by 2019. Increasing eFiling is critical to achieving this goal. In 

this regard, the more case-related information that the FLRA receives electronically – rather than 

in hard copy – from the outset, the easier it is to convert that information into an electronic case 

file, without the need for FLRA staff to manually scan documents. In recognition of this, the 

agency continues to execute the multi-year, four-phase plan that it initially developed and 

launched in FY 2015 to accomplish the transition to fully electronic case files. 

Phase 1 was completion of the initial implementation of an eFiling System – eFiling 1.0 – for all 

FLRA offices that accept case filings, and the refinement and improvement of that system –

based on user experience and feedback – through implementation of eFiling 2.0 and 3.0 with a 

more user-friendly interface. The agency will implement eFiling 3.0, which is currently being 

tested, no later than the first quarter of FY 2018. Phase 2 is to provide a similar, more 

user-friendly and intuitive interface for the agency’s internal electronic Case Management 

System. Phase 2 also includes implementation of an agency-wide Document Management 
24

System – an electronic, cloud-based “filing cabinet” that provides a framework for organizing 

digital and paper documents. The latter has already been completed, and the former should be 

implemented by the end of FY 2018. The Document Management System replaces all existing 

network drives and folders, and it allows for quick access to any document, file, or email through 

use of sophisticated search engines. It also provides the necessary storage capacity and 

technological platform for the eventual integration of all electronic case-processing systems so 

that the agency can realize its vision of having fully electronic case files. Phase 3 is the 

integration of the automated connection between the Case Management System, the eFiling 

System, and the Document Management System. This is currently underway, and project 

planning has begun. Phase 3 is scheduled to be completed by the 2nd quarter of FY 2019. And 

Phase 4 is the transition to 100 percent electronic case files throughout the agency, with a goal of 

September 30, 2019, for completion. 

Implementation of fully electronic case files throughout the agency will allow the FLRA to 

operate more efficiently and more effectively by: allowing for implementation of additional 

external and internal case-processing improvements that will further maximize the use of 

technology; eliminating many of the labor-intensive, manual case processes that are currently in 

place; and increasing overall efficiency and effectiveness. These case-processing improvements 

include: electronic voting by the Authority Members, which the agency already implemented in 

FY 2017; reduction of U.S. Mail costs by implementing electronic service of case-related 

documents by the FLRA on the parties; reduction – or elimination – of Fed Ex costs for 

transferring paper case files between FLRA offices; implementation of a pilot program that 

would mandate FLRA parties to file all case-related documents electronically, and the eventual 

mandate of eFiling for all FLRA case filings. The greatest benefit will be that staff hours 

currently used to perform manual administrative tasks will be freed up to perform other missioncritical functions – or eliminated, if warranted. 

In addition, the FLRA will continue making improvements through smaller-scale projects. For 

example, the agency plans to transition to a cloud email solution in FY 2018. This is another 

long-term, “cloud-first” strategy that the agency has been working towards to move all of its 

critical system to the cloud. Once email has been transitioned, all agency critical systems – Case 

Management, eFiling, Document Management, and email – will all be in the cloud, offering 

better redundancy and backups that can be leveraged to improve the overall agency Continuity of 

Operations Plan (COOP). The agency also continues to leverage the Video Teleconferencing 

(VTC) System that it implemented in FY 2015 to save reduce travel expenditures and offer 

alternative methods for achieving agency-wide training, outreach, and intervention goals. In FY 

2017, the agency also completed its transition to business cable in all 6 of its Regional Office 

outside of Washington, D.C. In addition to increasing network connections for the FLRA’s 

Regional Offices by 50 to 80 percent, the agency was also able to reinvest the 5 to 10 percent 

annual savings in network services that it achieved to provide a back-up, secondary system for 

the Regional Office networks. All of these initiatives are key components in the agency’s efforts 

to achieve efficiencies through use of innovative technology. 
25

Human Capital

In FY 2017, the FLRA continued its overall success as measured by the Federal Employee 

Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), leaving no doubt that the FLRA’s investments in the recruitment, 

retention, and skills and leadership development of its employees continues to produce a highly 

engaged workforce that is dedicated to the accomplishment of its mission. The results of the 

2017 survey reflect that the FLRA has 55 identified strengths (items with 65 percent or higher 

positive ratings) and no identified challenges (items with 35 percent or higher negative ratings). 

Compared to 2016, the FLRA increased its positive ratings for 15 questions, experienced no 

change in its positive ratings for 4 questions, and decreased its positive ratings for 52 questions. 

The agency outperformed the Government-wide average in 70 out of 71 questions. And the 

FLRA continues to rank in the top ten among small agencies (those with 100-999 employees) in 

two important indices – Employee Engagement and New IQ – with #6 and #5 rankings, 

respectively. With an Employee Engagement Index score of 77 percent and a New IQ Index 

score of 71 percent, the FLRA exceeds the Government-wide average for each index, as well as 

for every sub-category of each index. In addition, the FLRA’s Global Satisfaction index score of 

72 percent – well above the Government-wide average of 64 percent – is a positive indicator of 

employees’ overall workplace satisfaction. 

As to the agency’s 55 identified strengths, of particular note is that: 99 percent of FLRA 

respondents indicate that they are willing to put in extra effort to get a job done; 98 percent

positively rate the overall quality of work done by their work unit; 97 percent report that they are 

held accountable for achieving results; 95 percent know how their work relates to the agency’s 

goals and priorities; and 92 percent say that they are constantly looking for ways to do their jobs 

better. These results show that employees understand the FLRA’s mission, understand their role 

in achieving it, and see themselves as an integral part of achieving agency-wide success. 

Consistent with Executive Order 13781 and OMB M-17-22, which, among other things, provides 

agencies with guidance on developing reform plans that “align[] . . . the Federal budget and 

performance planning processes,” in FY 2017 the FLRA adjusted its annual performance year to 

align with the fiscal year. This alignment directly links every employee’s individual 

performance to the FLRA’s overall strategic and performance goals, as well as to the agency’s 

annual budget and funding requests. It will provide a more accurate measurement of each 

employee’s contribution towards achievement of agency-wide performance goals, greater 

accountability, and better data regarding resource needs. 

The FLRA also engaged in an in-depth review of its personnel files. In this connection, it 

undertook a thorough review of every Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) to: ensure 

proper retirement coverage (CSRS or FERS); verify the accuracy of service computation dates 

for both leave and retirement purposes; and examine all folders for missing or undocumented 

prior service. It also conducted an agency-wide review of every agency position description 

(PD) to ensure that all PDs reflect actual duties and that accompanying cover sheets are accurate. 

This has been critical in conducting “need-to-fill” evaluations. 

Further, in FY 2017, the agency continued to develop capacity for shared administrative staff 

across several offices by utilizing administrative staff within the Authority Component –
26

particularly those who are in “confidential” positions to agency leadership – to provide 

administrative assistance to the HR, Budget & Finance, and Equal Employment Opportunity 

(EEO) Offices, which perform sensitive work. Not only does this provide administrative staff 

with a developmental opportunity, but it also allows for greater flexibility, relieves high-graded 

managerial staff from having to perform lower-graded administrative tasks, and avoids the need 

to hire additional FTEs when workloads increase within the component. And, again in FY 2017, 

internal developmental details have accomplished two strategic objectives: (1) development of 

future leaders to facilitate succession planning; and (2) cross-training to allow for the 

reassignment of employees to positions that are more closely matched to their career interests –

and to the agency’s needs.

In order to further fulfill the FLRA’s mission, the agency focuses on succession planning by 

identifying its future human-resources needs, potential organizational and skills gaps, and 

vulnerabilities, and then setting goals to address them. With respect to succession planning, in 

FY 2017, the FLRA continued a training initiative designed to assist senior, high-potential 

employees identify and strengthen critical leadership skills in preparation for eventually 

transitioning to formal leadership positions. To strengthen and support the FLRA’s new cadre of 

first-time managers and supervisors, the agency identified a series of trainings geared towards 

developing strategic thinking and other critical skills in preparation for effective leadership at the 

FLRA. And the FLRA continued to develop and provide high-level, mission-based training for 

its attorneys – nearly 20 percent of whom are new to the FLRA – that built upon their existing 

legal, technical, and ADR skills to improve and maximize performance. These training 

initiatives crossed components, bringing together future agency leaders from all offices to 

enhance their skills and encourage ongoing collaboration among peers. 

The FLRA is committed to fostering a workplace where employees from all backgrounds are 

recruited, retained, and developed for successful performance and career progression. Since 

FY 2014, and continuing throughout FY 2017, the agency achieved greater diversity in its 

workforce by increasing strategic and targeted recruitment and posting job opportunities with 

career-planning and placement services, local colleges and universities, and professional 

affinity-group organizations. And the FLRA has consistently used data to help identify and 

eliminate barriers to recruiting and hiring the diverse talent that it needs. In this respect, the 

FLRA’s ongoing focus on increasing ethnic and gender diversity in its Senior Executive Service 

corps yielded small, but meaningful, gains in FY 2016 and FY 2017. The FLRA also continued 

to utilize both Student Pathways and summer-externship programs to accomplish mission-related 

initiatives throughout the agency. Finally, serving as one of three Small Agency Council (SAC) 

representatives on the Diversity and Inclusion in Government Council (DIG), the FLRA is 

participating in Government-wide discussions aimed to create and foster a Federal workforce 

that includes and engages Federal employees and reflects all segments of society. 
27

STRATEGIC GOAL 1: WE WILL RESOLVE DISPUTES UNDER THE 

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

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.1: PRODUCE TIMELY REVIEW AND 

DISPOSITION OF UNFAIR-LABOR-PRACTICE CASES.

The General Counsel has independent responsibility for the investigation, settlement, and 

prosecution of ULP charges. ULP cases originate with the filing of a charge in a Regional Office 

by an employee, a labor organization, or an agency. Once a charge has been filed, the Regional 

Office will investigate the charge to determine whether it has merit. If the Regional Director 

determines that the charge has merit, then he or she will, absent settlement, issue and prosecute a 

complaint before an ALJ. If the Regional Director determines that the charge lacks merit, then 

the charging party is entitled to a written explanation, and, if not satisfied, may appeal that 

decision to the General Counsel in Washington, D.C. If the General Counsel upholds the 

dismissal, then the case is closed. The Authority has appointed ALJs to hear ULP cases 

prosecuted by the General Counsel. The OALJ transmits recommended decisions of the ALJs to 

the Authority, which may affirm, modify, or reverse them in whole or in part on exceptions. If 

no exceptions are filed to an ALJ’s decision, then the Authority adopts the decision without 

precedential significance. 

OGC 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 1,570 1,425 1,178 1,333 882 952

Charges filed 4,696 4,418 4,345 3,655 4,000 4,000

Total caseload 6,266 5,843 5,523 4,988 4,882 4,952

Charges withdrawn/settled 3,779 3,662 3,268 3,130 3,000 3,000

Charges dismissed 809 800 749 786 750 750

Complaints issued 253 203 173 190 180 180

Total cases closed 4,841 4,665 4,190 4,106 3,930 3,930

Cases pending, end of year 1,425 1,178 1,333 882 952 1,022

 OALJ 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 120 105 62 60 57 57

Cases received from the OGC 260 222 179 197 200 200

Total caseload 380 327 241 257 257 257

Settlements before hearing 245 187 130 176 170 170

Cases closed by decision 30 78 51 24 30 30

Total cases closed 275 265 181 200 200 200

Cases pending, end of year 105 62 60 57 57 57
28

 Authority 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 12 13 24 24 23 23

Exceptions filed 27 62 45 23 25 25

Total caseload 39 75 69 47 48 48

Cases closed procedurally 18 37 51 22 20 20

Cases closed based on merits 8 14 14 2 5 5

Total cases closed 26 51 51 24 25 25

Cases pending, end of year 13 24 24 23 23 23

Measure 1.1: The percentage of ULP charges resolved by the OGC by complaint, withdrawal, 

dismissal, or settlement within 120 days of filing of the charge. 

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

67% 72% 71% 73% 70% 70%

Measure 1.2: The percentage of decisions on an appeal of a Regional Director’s dismissal of a 

ULP charge issued within 60 days of the date filed, and in no case more than 120 days.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

98%/100% 98%/100% 100%/100% 96%/100% 95%100% 95%/100%

Measure 1.3: The percentage of ULP complaints issued by the General Counsel resolved or 

decided in the OALJ within 180 days of the complaint being issued.

Results

FY 2014 FY 2015

91% 77%

Measure 1.3: The percentage of ULP complaints issued by the General Counsel decided in the 

OALJ within 180 days of the complaint being issued.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

80% 93% 80% 90%
29

Measure 1.4: The percentage of ULP cases decided within 180 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member.

Results

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

100% 50% 57% 89%

Measure 1.4: The percentage of ULP cases decided within 150 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

50% 75% 75%

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.1: RESOLVE OVERAGE 

UNFAIR-LABOR-PRACTICE CASES IN A TIMELY FASHION.

As part of its 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, the FLRA developed new performance measures for 

FY 2016 and FY 2017 to ensure that cases in which the primary timeliness goal is not met are 

sufficiently targeted and do not go significantly overage.

Measure 2.1: The percentage of ULP charges resolved by the OGC by complaint, withdrawal, 

dismissal, or settlement within 240 days of filing of the charge.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

95% 95% 95% 95%

Measure 2.2: The percentage of ULP complaints issued by the General Counsel decided in 

the OALJ within 365 days of the complaint being issued.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

89% 98% 98% 98%

Measure 2.3: The percentage of ULP cases decided within 365 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 95% 95%
30

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.2: PRODUCE TIMELY REVIEW AND 

DISPOSITION OF REPRESENTATION CASES.

The Statute sets out a specific procedure for employees to petition to be represented by a labor 

union and to determine which employees will be included in a “bargaining unit” that a union 

represents. Implementing this procedure, the FLRA conducts secret-ballot elections for union 

representation and resolves a variety of issues related to questions of union representation of 

employees. These issues include, for example, whether particular employees are managers or 

“confidential” employees excluded from union representation, whether there has been election 

misconduct on the part of agencies or unions, and whether changes in union and agency 

organizations affect existing bargaining units. Representation cases are initiated when an 

individual, a labor organization, or an agency files a petition with a Regional Office. After a 

petition is filed, the Regional Director conducts an investigation to determine the appropriateness 

of a unit or other matter related to the petition. After concluding such investigation, the Regional 

Director may conduct a secret-ballot election or hold a hearing to resolve disputed factual 

matters. After a hearing, the Regional Director issues a Decision and Order, which is final 

unless an application for review is filed with the Authority.

OGC 2014 2015 2016 2017 

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 89 65 70 112 58 38

Petitions filed 235 225 265 208 210 210

Total caseload 324 290 335 320 268 248

Petitions withdrawn 118 95 112 130 110 110

Cases closed based on merits 141 125 111 132 120 120

Total cases closed 259 220 223 262 230 230

Cases pending, end of year 65 70 112 58 38 18

Authority 2014 2015 2016 2017 

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 9 7 2 0 6 6

Applications for review 13 16 6 12 12 12

Total caseload 22 23 8 12 18 18

Cases closed procedurally 2 2 0 1 1 1

Cases closed based on merits 13 19 8 5 11 11

Total cases closed 15 21 8 6 12 12

Cases pending, end of year 7 2 0 6 6 6
31

Measure 1.5: The percentage of representation cases resolved by the OGC through 

withdrawal, election, or issuance of a Decision and Order within 120 days of the filing of a 

petition.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

66% 72% 73% 68% 70% 70%

Measure 1.6: The percentage of representation cases in which the Authority issued a decision 

whether to grant review within 60 days of the filing of an application for review.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.2: RESOLVE OVERAGE REPRESENTATION 

CASES IN A TIMELY FASHION.

As part of its 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, the FLRA developed new performance measures for 

FY 2016 and FY 2017 to ensure that cases in which the primary timeliness goal is not met are 

sufficiently targeted and do not go significantly overage.

Measure 2.3: The percentage of cases resolved by the OGC through withdrawal, election, or 

issuance of a Decision and Order within 365 days of the filing of a petition.*

Results Targets * New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

98% 95% 95% 95%

Measure 2.4: The percentage of representation cases in which the Authority grants review, 

where the Authority will issue a decision on review, or reach other final resolution of the case, 

within 365 days of the filing of the application for review.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 95% 95%
32

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.3: PRODUCE TIMELY REVIEW AND 

DISPOSITION OF ARBITRATION CASES.

Either party to grievance arbitration may file with the Authority an exception to (or an appeal of) 

an arbitrator’s award. The Authority will review an arbitrator’s award to which an exception has 

been filed to determine whether the award is deficient because it is contrary to any law, rule, or 

regulation, or on grounds similar to those applied by Federal courts in private-sector, labormanagement relations.

Authority 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 123 90 50 40 71 80

Exceptions filed 89 99 86 103 94 94

Total caseload 212 189 136 143 165 144

Cases closed procedurally 16 15 21 16 17 17

Cases closed based on merits 106 124 75 56 68 68

Total cases closed 122 139 96 72 85 85

Cases pending, end of year 90 50 40 71 80 59

Measure 1.7: The percentage of arbitration cases decided within 180 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member.

Results

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

91% 34% 40% 79%

Measure 1.7: The percentage of arbitration cases decided within 150 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member.

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

79% 75% 75%
33

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.3: RESOLVE OVERAGE ARBITRATION 

CASES IN A TIMELY FASHION.

As part of its 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, the FLRA developed new performance measures for 

FY 2016 and FY 2017 to ensure that cases in which the primary timeliness goal is not met are 

sufficiently targeted and do not go significantly overage.

Measure 2.5: The percentage of arbitration cases decided within 365 days of assignment to an 

Authority Member *

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 95% 95%

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.4: PRODUCE TIMELY REVIEW AND 

DISPOSITION OF NEGOTIABILITY CASES.

A Federal agency bargaining with a union may claim that a particular union proposal cannot be 

bargained because it conflicts with Federal law, a Government-wide rule or regulation, or an 

agency regulation for which there is a compelling need. In both of these situations, a union may 

petition the Authority to resolve the negotiability dispute. In addition, agency heads may 

disapprove collective-bargaining agreements if those agreements are contrary to law, and a union 

may petition the Authority to resolve the negotiability dispute. 

Authority 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018 

Est.

2019 

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 9 17 23 27 11 11

Petitions filed 43 54 55 40 48 48

Total caseload 52 71 78 67 59 59

Cases closed procedurally 29 40 47 52 40 40

Cases closed based on merits 6 8 4 4 8 8

Total cases closed 35 48 51 56 48 48

Cases pending, end of year 17 23 27 11 11 11
34

Measure 1.8: The percentage of negotiability cases decided within 180 days of assignment 

to an Authority Member.

Results

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

80% 60% 50% 75%

Measure 1.8: The percentage of negotiability cases decided within 150 days of assignment 

to an Authority Member.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

75% 75% 75%

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.4: RESOLVE OVERAGE NEGOTIABILITY 

CASES IN A TIMELY FASHION.

As part of its 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, the FLRA developed new performance measures for 

FY 2016 and FY 2017 to ensure that cases in which the primary timeliness goal is not met are 

sufficiently targeted and do not go significantly overage.

Measure 2.6: The percentage of negotiability cases decided within 365 days of assignment to 

an Authority Member.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 95% 95%
35

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.5: PRODUCE TIMELY REVIEW AND 

DISPOSITION OF BARGAINING-IMPASSE CASES.

In carrying out the right to bargain collectively, it is not uncommon for a union representative 

and a Federal agency to simply not agree on certain issues, and for the bargaining to reach an 

impasse. Several options are available by which the parties may attempt to resolve the impasse. 

The parties may: decide, on their own, to use certain techniques to resolve the impasse, but may 

proceed to private, binding arbitration only after the FSIP approves the procedure; seek the 

services and assistance of the FMCS; or seek the assistance of the FSIP in resolving the 

negotiation impasse, but only after the previous options have failed.

FSIP 2014 2015 2016 2017

2018

Est.

2019

Est.

Cases pending, start of year 40 28 33 41 14 7

Impasses filed 134 139 142 98 128 128

Total caseload 174 167 175 139 142 135

Cases closed 146 134 134 125 135 135

Cases pending, end of year 28 33 41 14 7 0

Measure 1.9: The percentage of bargaining-impasse cases in which jurisdiction is declined 

closed within 140 days of the date filed.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

89% 100% 100% 93% 80% 80%

Measure 1.10: The percentage of bargaining-impasse cases voluntarily settled after 

jurisdiction has been asserted within 160 days of the date filed.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

68% 100% 100% 93% 70% 70%

Measure 1.11: The percentage of bargaining-impasse cases resolved through a final action 

closed within 200 days of the date filed.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

61% 100% 100% 77% 70% 70%
36

STRATEGIC GOAL 2: WE WILL PROMOTE STABILITY IN THE 

FEDERAL LABOR-MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING 

LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE THROUGH ADR AND EDUCATION

Key to the FLRA’s ADR objectives is to offer high-quality outreach and preventive services, as 

well as resources, to promote more effective labor-management relations across the Federal 

Government. In furtherance of that objective, the FLRA has integrated voluntary ADR and 

consensus decision-making into virtually all of its processes, and it has significantly expanded its 

training, outreach, and facilitation activities. ADR is an informal, voluntary process that allows 

parties to discuss and develop their interests in order to resolve the underlying issues and 

problems in their relationships. This includes interest-based conflict resolution and intervention 

services in pending ULP cases, representation cases, arbitration cases, negotiability appeals, and 

bargaining-impasse disputes. The agency also provides facilitation and training to help labor and 

management develop collaborative relationships. Many of the FLRA’s training programs are 

now available as web-based training modules, bringing educational tools and resources directly 

to agency customers at their desks to further assist them in resolving labor-management disputes. 

The FLRA’s goals include delivering outreach, training, and facilitation services that 

significantly contribute to the mission of the FLRA, and ensuring that training participants 

evaluate FLRA training as highly effective. 

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.1: PROVIDE TARGETED ACCESS TO 

TRAINING, OUTREACH, AND FACILITATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN 

THE LABOR-MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY.

Measure 1.1: The number of training, outreach, and facilitation activities conducted.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

225 306 280 273 275 275

Measure 1.2: The number of participants involved in training, outreach, and facilitation 

activities.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

5,114 8,294 8,440 8,122 7,000 7,000
37

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.1: SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVE A 

SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF FLRA CASES THROUGH ADR.

The FLRA has integrated voluntary ADR and consensus decision-making into virtually all of its 

case processes, and it has significantly expanded its training, outreach, and facilitation activities 

since FY 2011. ADR is an informal, voluntary process that allows parties to discuss and develop 

their interests in order to resolve the underlying issues and problems in their relationships. This 

includes interest-based conflict resolution and intervention services in pending ULP cases, 

representation cases, arbitration cases, negotiability appeals, and bargaining-impasse disputes. 

Measure 2.1: The percentage of appropriate ULP cases in the OGC in which ADR services 

are offered. *

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 90% 90%

Measure 2.2: The percentage of ULP cases in the OGC in which an offer of ADR services is 

accepted that are partially or totally resolved.** 

**Renumbered measure beginning in FY 2017; previously Measure 2.1

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

98% 96% 97% 100% 95% 95%

Measure 2.3: The percentage of appropriate ULP cases in the OALJ in which SettlementJudge Services are offered.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2017

FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 90% 90%
38

Measure 2.4: The percentage of ULP cases in the OALJ in which an offer of SettlementJudge services is accepted by the parties that are partially or totally resolved.

**Renumbered measure beginning in FY 2017; previously Measure 2.2

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

96% 87% 74% 93% 85% 90%

Measure 2.5: The percentage of REP cases in the OGC in which an offer of ADR services is 

accepted by the parties that are partially or totally resolved.

**Renumbered measure beginning in FY 2017; previously Measure 2.3

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2018

100% 96% 100% 100% 95% 95%

Measure 2.6: The percentage of appropriate arbitration cases in the Authority in which ADR 

services are offered.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 100% 100% 100%

Measure 2.7: The percentage of arbitration cases in the Authority in which an offer of ADR 

services is accepted by the parties that are partially or totally resolved.

Results Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

80% 43% 79% 80% 50% 50%

Measure 2.8: The percentage of appropriate negotiability cases in the Authority in which 

ADR services are offered.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 100% 100% 100%
39

Measure 2.9: The percentage of proposals or provisions – in negotiability cases in which an 

offer of ADR services is accepted by the parties – that are partially or totally resolved.

Results

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

100% 100% 100%

Measure 2.9: The percentage of negotiability cases in the Authority in which ADR services 

are provided that are partially or totally resolved.*

Results Targets *New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

100% 100% 90% 90%

Measure 2.10: The percentage of bargaining-impasse cases in the FSIP in which an offer of 

ADR services is accepted by the parties that are partially or totally resolved.

Results

FY 2014 FY 2015

27% 39%

Measure 2.10: The percentage of bargaining-impasse cases in the FSIP in which parties’ 

disputes are totally resolved voluntarily.*

Results Targets * New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019

27% 30% 30% 30%
40

STRATEGIC GOAL 3: WE WILL MANAGE OUR RESOURCES 

EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE 

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

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

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

agency’s employees, IT infrastructure, and allocation of resources are central to achieving all of 

the strategic goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan. 

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

the parties that the FLRA serves. Approximately 40 percent of the FLRA’s workforce has been 

with the agency for five years or less, and many of the agency’s most experienced employees are 

currently eligible to retire. In light of these facts, it is crucial for the FLRA to simultaneously 

focus on developing the workforce of the future, while retaining valuable institutional 

knowledge. 

The agency is prepared to meet ever-changing business demands through the innovative use of 

IT to best manage the workload and interact with parties. The FLRA continues to be an effective 

steward of taxpayer dollars, with a renewed focus on maximizing the use of data to inform 

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

seamless deployment of resources coupled with cost-avoidance strategies to support productive 

labor-management relations across the Federal Government. And, consistent with the PMA, the 

FLRA has a comprehensive, forward-looking plan to increase quality and value in its 

administrative functions, continue efforts to enhance productivity and achieve cost savings, 

unlock the full potential of its workforce, and build the FLRA’s workplace and workforce for the 

future.

PERFORMANCE GOAL 1.1: RECRUIT, RETAIN, AND DEVELOP A 

HIGHLY TALENTED, MOTIVATED, AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE TO 

ACCOMPLISH THE FLRA’S MISSION.

Over the last eight and a half years, the FLRA has demonstrated significant and marked 

improvement in its performance and service delivery, and it has continued to rank among the top 

ten small agencies in the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings. These results 

demonstrate the agency’s commitment to empowering and developing a highly engaged and 

effective workforce. The success of FLRA employees is instrumental to its success as an 

agency. It is within this spirit that the FLRA actively manages its human-capital programs.

Measure 1.1: Program managers ensure that the right employees are in the right place to 

achieve results.

FY 2014 Results

Focused on succession planning by increasing targeted attorney 

recruitment. Renewed agreement with the University of 

Maryland for discounted tuition for agency employees. Increased 

agency resources through recruitment, staffing, and placement. 

Utilized the Student Pathways and Summer Externship programs 
41

to increase resources for casework and administrative initiatives 

throughout the agency. Realigned functions within the agency’s 

Office of the Executive Director to allow for improved 

efficiencies and customer service to agency employees. Worked 

extensively with managers to hold employees accountable for 

performance and development. Updated Attorney Recruitment 

Policy in order to allow managers greater hiring flexibility of the 

agency’s mission-critical occupation and to streamline the 

recruitment process. In collaboration with the Partnership for 

Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellows program, 

developed and piloted an Employee Onboarding Handbook to 

improve the onboarding process and increase employee 

engagement.

FY 2015 Results

Implemented a fully automated and integrated electronic system 

for personnel actions. Developed a more robust onboarding 

process through increased use of technology and piloted 

implementation of an Employee Onboarding Handbook. 

Updated certain human-resources policies and procedures. 

Continued to build internal capacity for handling the major 

human-resources functional areas. Position descriptions 

continued to be updated and now allow for greater growth and 

advancement opportunities within the agency, and employees 

readily volunteered for collateral-duty assignments, new 

initiatives, and projects. The agency also renewed its agreement 

with a local university to offer discounted tuition to FLRA 

employees for self-directed study. Improved office customer 

service by improving the quality of advice provided to managers 

and employees. Worked with managers to educate them about 

and increase diversity and inclusion when seeking new agency 

talent. The agency achieved greater diversity in its workforce in 

FY 2015 by increasing strategic and targeted recruitment and 

posting job opportunities with career-planning and placement 

services, local colleges and universities, and professional affinitygroup organizations. With respect to succession planning, the 

FLRA continued to offer cross-component developmental details 

and its training initiative designed to assist higher-graded 

employees identify and strengthen critical leadership skills in 

preparation for eventually transitioning to formal leadership 

positions. To strengthen and support the FLRA’s new cadre of 

first-time managers and supervisors, the agency identified a 

series of trainings geared towards developing strategic thinking 

and other critical skills in preparation for executive leadership at 

the FLRA. These training initiatives crossed components, 

bringing together future agency leaders from all offices to 

enhance their skills and encourage collaboration among peers. 
42

Measure 1.1: Demonstrate strong recruitment and retention practices.

*New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 Results

Strengthened the agency’s diversity and inclusion recruitment 

efforts, establishing and implementing a process for sharing job 

announcements with relevant affinity groups. The FLRA is 

continuing to enhance its strategic and targeted recruitment and 

posting job opportunities with career-planning and placement 

services, local colleges and universities, and professional affinitygroup organizations. The FLRA is also using data to help 

identify and eliminate barriers to recruiting and hiring the diverse 

talent that it needs. 

The FLRA is working to strengthen its operational offices, 

seeking feedback through semi-annual and point-of-service 

surveys. Efforts are underway to revise and implement a robust 

agency-wide onboarding program, which will include briefings 

and continuing educational opportunities for employees to 

strengthen their knowledge of the FLRA.

The FLRA strengthened its recognition and promotion of 

cultural-based celebrations, establishing an employee-driven 

initiative to develop and promote events and activities. The 

FLRA targeted efforts to educate managers about, and increase 

diversity and inclusion when, seeking new agency talent, and it 

continued efforts to train agency staff at all levels on key 

diversity and inclusion issues. And manager performance plans 

have been revised to include diversity-and- inclusion-focused 

metrics. Much of the FLRA’s success is reflected in its #1 smallagency ranking in terms of the “New IQ” Index, which provides 

insights into employee perceptions of the inclusiveness of the 

agency by looking at twenty questions that measure the five 

“Habits of Inclusion” – Fair, Open, Cooperative, Supportive, and 

Empowering. The FLRA is the top-ranking small-agency for 

each of the five habits of inclusion, with scores averaging 15 

percent – and as much as 21 percent – higher than the average 

scores for all small agencies. And in the 2015 Best Places to 

Work in the Federal Government rankings, the FLRA was ranked 

#2 out of 28 small agencies in its support for diversity. 

FY 2017 Results 

Continued to develop capacity for shared administrative staff 

across several offices by utilizing administrative staff within the 

Authority Component – particularly those who are in 

“confidential” positions to agency leadership – to provide 

administrative assistance to the HR, Budget & Finance, and 

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Offices, which perform 
43

sensitive work. Not only does this provide administrative staff 

with a developmental opportunity, but it also allows for greater 

flexibility, relieves high-graded managerial staff from having to 

perform lower-graded administrative tasks, and avoids the need 

to hire additional FTEs when workloads increase within the 

component. 

Aligned the agency-wide Performance Year (previously July 1 -

June 30) with the Fiscal Year. This alignment directly links 

every employee’s individual performance to the FLRA’s overall 

strategic and performance goals, as well as to the agency’s annual 

budget and funding requests. It will provide a more accurate 

measurement of each employee’s contribution towards 

achievement of agency-wide performance goals, greater 

accountability, and better data regarding resource needs. 

Conducted an agency-wide review of all agency electronic 

Official Personnel Folders (eOPFs) to: ensure proper retirement 

coverage (CSRS or FERS); verify the accuracy of service 

computation dates (SCDs) for both leave and retirement 

purposes; and examine all folders for missing or undocumented 

prior service.

 

Conducted an agency-wide review of every agency position 

description (PD) to ensure that all PDs reflect actual duties and 

that accompanying cover sheets are accurate, and revised PDs 

that needed revision or that were very dated, which has been 

particularly critical in conducting “need-to-fill” evaluations and 

drafting recent vacancy announcements. 

FY 2018 Target

Complete implementation of all necessary changes/corrections 

identified during the agency-wide eOPF and PD reviews. 

Develop/revise and implement standard operating procedures that 

will help to maintain accurate personnel records going forward. 

Continue to conduct “need-to-fill” evaluations before filling any 

vacant positions. 

Implement workforce reshaping, consistent with Executive 

Order 13781 and M-17-22.

Continue to use data to identify and eliminate barriers to 

recruiting and hiring the diverse talent that the FLRA needs.
44

FY 2019 Target

Adhere to and update, as needed, standard operating procedures 

that will help to maintain accurate records going forward. 

Continue to conduct “need-to-fill” evaluations before filling any 

vacant positions. 

Continue to implement workforce reshaping, consistent with 

Executive Order 13781 and M-17-22.

Continue to use data to identify and eliminate barriers to 

recruiting and hiring the diverse talent that the FLRA needs.

Measure 1.2: Maintain and grow agency expertise through employee development.

*New measure beginning in FY 2016

FY 2016 Results

Successfully implemented numerous cross-component 

developmental opportunities for employees, including workgroups 

to encourage innovation, the development and delivery of 

training, and more than ten detail opportunities at all levels and 

offices within the agency. 

Continued its robust training initiative focusing on leadership and 

skills development. It addressed temporary mission needs, 

maximizing Student Pathways and student-internship programs, 

and utilizing developmental details within its existing workforce. 

All new managers and supervisors were provided with leadershiptraining opportunities, and the FLRA’s executive-training plans 

are ongoing and are aimed at developing executive-level talent 

among the FLRA’s existing workforce. 

Continued its overall success and improvement as measured by 

the FEVS, leaving no doubt that the FLRA continues to have a 

highly engaged workforce that is dedicated to the accomplishment 

of its mission. The results of the survey reflect the agency’s 

continuous growth in overall employee satisfaction, as 

demonstrated by the FLRA ranking as the #1 small agency in two 

important indices – Employee Engagement and New IQ – and the 

increase in 2016 positive ratings in 19 items from 2015. In 

addition, the FLRA has 66 identified strengths (items with 

65 percent or higher positive ratings) and no identified challenges 

(items with 35 percent or higher negative ratings). And the 

agency’s scores are above the Government-wide average in 69 out 

of 71 questions. Of particular note is that: 97 percent of FLRA 

respondents report that they are held accountable for achieving 
45

results; 96 percent positively rate the overall quality of the work 

done by their work unit; 96 percent indicate that they are willing 

to put in extra effort to get a job done; 94 percent know how their 

work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities; 94 percent think 

that the people they work with cooperate to get the job done; 

94 percent believe that the agency is successful at accomplishing 

its mission; 93 percent find that the workforce has the job-relevant 

knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish organizational 

goals; 92 percent indicate that their supervisors regularly 

communicate with them about their performance; and 91 percent 

state that employees in their work unit share job knowledge with 

each other. Moreover, the agency maintained its sustained growth 

of positive responses to the question “supervisors in my work unit 

support employee development” – increasing by nearly 

9.5 percent over 2015. 

FY 2017 Results

Continued to develop capacity for shared administrative staff 

across several offices by utilizing administrative staff within the 

Authority Component – particularly those who are in 

“confidential” positions to agency leadership – to provide 

administrative assistance to the HR, Budget & Finance, and Equal 

Employment Opportunity (EEO) Offices, which perform sensitive 

work. Not only does this provide administrative staff with a 

developmental opportunity, but it also allows for greater 

flexibility, relieves high-graded managerial staff from having to 

perform lower-graded administrative tasks, and avoids the need to 

hire additional FTEs when workloads increase within the 

component. 

Most managers assessed all of their employees on their 

developmental needs and provided at least one targeted 

developmental opportunity to each. Training budgets for every 

office were reduced by 25 percent in FY 2017, so there was a 

reduced ability to procure outside training. This resulted in 

managers finding in-house opportunities to help develop their 

employees through details (e.g., Acting Chief Information 

Officer), work groups (e.g., eFiling), and special projects (e.g., 

revising FLRA policies).

In the 2017 FEVS, 78 percent of FLRA employees responded 

positively to the OPM FEVS question “supervisors in my work 

unit support employee development” (Q. 47). Although this 

represents a 6 percent decrease from 2016, it is nonetheless 

5 percent above the small-agency score of 73 percent, and 

10 percent above the Government-wide score of 68 percent. 

In FY 2017, the FLRA continued its overall success as measured 
46

by the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), leaving no 

doubt that the FLRA’s investments in the recruitment, retention, 

and skills and leadership development of its employees continues 

to produce a highly engaged workforce that is dedicated to the 

accomplishment of its mission. The results of the 2017 survey 

reflect that the FLRA has 55 identified strengths (items with 

65 percent or higher positive ratings) and no identified challenges 

(items with 35 percent or higher negative ratings). Compared to 

2016, the FLRA increased its positive ratings for 15 questions, 

experienced no change in its positive ratings for 4 questions, and 

decreased its positive ratings for 52 questions. The agency 

outperformed the Government-wide average in 70 out of 71 

questions. And the FLRA continues to rank in the top ten among 

small agencies (those with 100-999 employees) in two important 

indices – Employee Engagement and New IQ – with #6 and #5 

rankings, respectively. With an Employee Engagement Index 

score of 77 percent and a New IQ Index score of 71 percent, the 

FLRA exceeds the Government-wide average for each index, as 

well as for every sub-category of each index. In addition, the 

FLRA’s Global Satisfaction index score of 72 percent – well 

above the Government-wide average of 64 percent – is a positive 

indicator of employees’ overall workplace satisfaction. 

As to the agency’s 55 identified strengths, of particular note is 

that: 99 percent of FLRA respondents indicate that they are 

willing to put in extra effort to get a job done; 98 percent

positively rate the overall quality of work done by their work unit; 

97 percent report that they are held accountable for achieving 

results; 95 percent know how their work relates to the agency’s 

goals and priorities; and 92 percent say that they are constantly 

looking for ways to do their jobs better. These results show that 

employees understand the FLRA’s mission, understand their role 

in achieving it, and see themselves as an integral part of achieving 

agency-wide success. 

In addition to its top-ten rankings in the Employee Engagement 

and New IQ Indexes and increased ratings in 15 questions, FLRA 

employees also identified areas for improvement. These areas 

include opportunities for advancement, meaningful recognition of 

differences in performance, encouragement of creativity and 

innovation, availability of resources to get their jobs done, and 

communication from management about what’s going on in the 

agency. 

FY 2018 Target

Building on the agency’s evolving succession plan – which is 

designed to lessen the impact of institutional-knowledge loss as 

employees retire or leave and to maximize current talent 
47

utilization by closing leadership staffing and competency 

gaps/deficiencies – develop a formal agency developmental-detail 

program, establishing cross-component detail opportunities to 

provide employees with training and developmental experiences 

that will enhance their skills and increase their understanding of 

the agency’s mission and operations across program lines, as well 

as the relevance of their work to the mission and programs of the 

FLRA. 

Managers will assess annually 100 percent of employees on their 

developmental needs and provide at least one targeted 

developmental opportunity to each of their staff members per 

year.

Maintain sustained growth of positive responses to the OPM 

FEVS question “supervisors in my work unit support employee 

development.”

FY 2019 Target

Implement a formal cross-component detail program. 

Managers will assess annually 100 percent of employees on their 

developmental needs and provide at least one targeted 

developmental opportunity to each of their staff members per 

year.

Maintain sustained growth of positive responses to the OPM 

FEVS question “supervisors in my work unit support employee 

development.”

PERFORMANCE GOAL 2.1: IMPROVE USE OF EXISTING 

TECHNOLOGY AND DEPLOY NEW IT SYSTEMS TO STREAMLINE 

AND ENHANCE ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS.

The FLRA began accepting eFilings in FY 2013, and, as of FY 2015, eFiling is available for all 

FLRA offices that receive case filings. The FLRA is continuing to work towards implementing 

the agency’s long-term goal of sharing end-to-end electronic case files throughout the FLRA, as 

well as the OMB-mandated target of having fully electronic files by 2019. Increasing eFiling is 

critical to achieving this goal. In this regard, the more case-related information that the FLRA 

receives electronically – rather than in hard copy – from the outset, the easier it is to convert that 

information into an electronic case file, without the need for FLRA staff to manually scan 

documents. In recognition of this, in FY 2015, the agency developed and launched a plan to 

accomplish the transition to fully electronic case files in 4 agile phases over 4 years. 
48

Measure 2.1: Expand the use of eFiling.

Results

FY 2014 12% of cases eFiled.

FY 2015 17% of cases eFiled.

FY 2016 22% of cases eFiled.

FY 2017 35% of cases eFiled. 

Targets

FY 2018 75% of cases eFiled.

FY 2019 75% of cases eFiled.

Measure 2.2: Electronic end-to-end case processing.

Results

FY 2014 Migrated the CADRO to an end-to-end electronic case file.

FY 2015

Made eFiling available for OALJ cases, resulting in eFiling being available 

for all offices that accept case filings. As a result, completed full integration 

of the CMS and eFiling systems, enabling end-to-end electronic case 

processing throughout the agency. 

FY 2016

With the full completion of the eFiling objective, the CMS has the structure in 

place to receive and store electronically filed cases. The applications have 

been merged, creating bridges between the two systems, to support end-toend electronic case-processing capability. The FLRA neared completion of 

improving the eFiling user interface, which builds upon the existing system, 

making the eFiling system more user-friendly and intuitive. And efforts are 

underway to implement a Document Management System. This effort will 

span into FY 2017, and it is a critical step in accomplishing the FLRA’s 

multi-year electronic-case-file plan.

FY 2017

Incorporating internal and external customer feedback, adopting “agile” 

development efforts, and utilizing open-source code, completed development 

of a brand new, user-friendly eFiling application with a Ruby on Rails user 

interface and a Postgres backend database that is housed in Amazon Web 

Services – a cloud-based solution. Final testing and additional enhancements 

that were not anticipated until later in FY 2018 are currently being completed, 

and eFiling 3.0 will launch to the public in the 1st quarter of FY 2018. It is 

anticipated to dramatically increase the number of FLRA cases filed 

electronically. 

Laid the foundation for modernizing the infrastructure for the agency’s 

electronic CMS and eFiling by transitioning to a new backend product –

Postgres database housed in Amazon Web Services – that will allow for a 

more user friendly and complete integration of the CMS, the eFiling system, 

and the DMS. 

Deployed an agency-wide, cloud-based DMS, which replaced the existing 
49

network shares with an integrated document and email communications 

system that will facilitate document sharing and electronic case-processing 

initiatives. 

Targets

FY 2018

Integrate the CMS and eFiling systems with the agency Document 

Management System, enabling end-to-end electronic case processing 

throughout the agency. 

FY 2019 Implement end-to-end electronic case files throughout the agency. 
1

U.S. FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY

1400 K Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20424

www.flra.gov