Federal Labor Relations Authority

Strategic Plan

2015-2018
Federal Labor Relations Authority 

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Contents

Message from the Chairman ...................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7

Background ............................................................................................................................... 7

Mission and Responsibilities .................................................................................................. 7

Organizational Structure......................................................................................................... 9

Stakeholder Engagement ...................................................................................................... 11

FLRA Strategic Goals................................................................................................................. 12

Goal 1: We will resolve disputes under the Federal Service Labor-Management 

Relations Statute in a timely, high-quality, and impartial manner................................. 13

Goal Overview .................................................................................................................... 13

Strategic Objectives............................................................................................................. 13

Goal 2: We will promote stability in the federal labor-management community by 

providing leadership and guidance through Alternative Dispute Resolution and 

education ................................................................................................................................. 17

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

Strategic Objectives............................................................................................................. 18

Goal 3: We will manage our resources effectively and efficiently in order to achieve 

organizational excellence. ..................................................................................................... 21

Goal Overview .................................................................................................................... 21

Strategic Objectives............................................................................................................. 22

Major Management Priorities, Challenges, and Risks.......................................................... 27

Evidence Building...................................................................................................................... 29

Appendix: Abbreviations......................................................................................................... 31
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Message from the Chairman

Over 50 years ago, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 

10,988, Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Sector,

granting federal employees the right to engage in collective 

bargaining through labor organizations. In his memorandum to 

agencies, President Kennedy noted: “The participation of 

employees in the formulation and implementation of employee 

policy and procedures affecting them contributes to the effective 

conduct of public business.” For over 35 years, the Federal Labor 

Relations Authority (FLRA) has pursued President Kennedy’s vision 

by promoting stable, constructive labor-management relations, resolving disputes in a 

manner that contributes to an effective and efficient government, and providing 

leadership in establishing policies and guidance related to federal sector labormanagement relations. 

Our collective dedication to our mission is extremely powerful. It has helped us to 

manage changes in leadership, challenging political and economic climates, and 

evolving customer needs. It has also enabled us to become one of the “Best Places to 

Work in the Federal Government.” While I am proud of all that we have achieved

already, I look forward to becoming even more effective at accomplishing our 

important mission, serving our customers, and meeting the needs of our employees. It 

is in this spirit that the FLRA has prepared this strategic plan. 

The FLRA dedicated a great deal of effort into this entire strategic-planning endeavor. 

It was an important opportunity for all of us – senior leaders, the employees’ 

representative organization (the Union of Authority Employees (UAE)), and staff 

throughout the agency – to shape our shared vision for the future of the FLRA. This 

plan was developed through one-on-one interviews and focus groups with leadership, 

staff, and external stakeholders. We worked collectively to establish our shared goals, 

objectives, and strategies, as well as the supporting performance goals that will help us 

to accomplish our mission and drive improvements in our daily operations. I would 

like to emphasize several aspects of this effort:

 This was a highly participatory process, and served as an opportunity for 

leadership, staff, and external stakeholders to share ideas about our strategy. 

 We asked for everyone’s best thinking and creativity – no ideas were off the 

table.

 This was a transparent effort, and we continuously communicated with agency

employees – at all levels throughout the agency – for the duration of the project. 

I am proud to present the FLRA’s Strategic Plan for 2015-2018, with full confidence that

it will guide us as we seek to be even more effective at accomplishing our crucial 
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mission and supporting our top-caliber workforce. I want to thank everyone who 

contributed to the plan’s development, and who took the time to provide valuable input 

that will help shape the future of the agency. I look forward to working together with 

you in achieving our goals and promoting positive labor-management relations across 

the federal government.

Carol Waller Pope

Chairman

Federal Labor Relations Authority 
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Executive Summary

The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent administrative 

agency, created by Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The FLRA’s 

mission is to promote stable, constructive labor-management relations through the resolution 

and prevention of labor disputes in a manner that gives full effect to the collective-bargaining 

rights of employees, unions, and agencies. Three strategic goals, each of which is supported 

by a number of strategic objectives, promote the FLRA’s ability to accomplish this 

mission.

The FLRA developed this strategic plan against the backdrop of external trends and 

challenges that affect overall mission delivery. These trends include budget 

uncertainty, an increasing caseload, and internal and external workforce challenges.

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

and challenges. 
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The FLRA has identified performance goals that will allow the agency to both monitor 

progress towards achieving its strategic goals and to recalibrate strategies, as necessary. 

These goals incorporate the FLRA’s increasing focus on data analytics. In developing

this strategic plan, the FLRA referenced evidence-based performance and resource 

trends, and it intends to use data collected to measure mission and organizational 

progress against this strategic plan, in conjunction with future evaluations, to support 

data-driven agency decision making.
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Introduction

Background

The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is an independent administrative agency

that was created to promote productive labor relations within the federal government 

by Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, also known as the Federal Service 

Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute), 5 U.S.C. §§ 7101-7135. The Statute 

formally codified the legal rights of federal employees, labor organizations, and 

agencies after President John F. Kennedy issued his milestone Executive Order 10,988 in 

1962, which authorized federal employees to bargain collectively for the first time. To 

protect these rights, the FLRA was charged with responsibility for establishing policies 

and guidance for the administration of the federal government’s labor-managementrelations program, which today covers approximately 2.1 million non-Postal federal 

employees. 

Mission and Responsibilities 

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

responsibilities, as set forth in the Statute: 

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

investigating, prosecuting, and adjudicating claims that agencies or labor 

organizations have failed to uphold their legal obligations to other parties or 

individual employees under the Statute.

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

elections, for labor-organization representation 

(REP). The FLRA conducts secret-ballot 

elections for union representation, resolves 

objections regarding the conduct of such 

elections, and determines which employees 

may be included in bargaining units – as 

well as the appropriate composition of such 

units – under the Statute. 

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

collective-bargaining agreements must include negotiated procedures for the 

filing of grievances by employees, unions, or agencies, and those negotiated 

Mission: The FLRA promotes stable, constructive labor-management relations 

through the resolution and prevention of labor disputes in a manner that gives full 

effect to the collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies.
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grievance procedures must provide for binding arbitration of unresolved 

grievances. The FLRA adjudicates appeals – known as exceptions – to the 

resulting arbitration awards, and reviews those awards to assess whether they 

are contrary to any law, rule, or regulation, or are deficient on other grounds 

similar to those applied by federal courts in private-sector labor-management 

relations. The FLRA may take such action as it considers necessary, including 

setting aside or modifying the awards.

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

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

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

circumstances, or when an agency head disapproves negotiated agreements on 

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

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

negotiable proposals, and in cases involving agency-head disapprovals of 

negotiated agreements, the FLRA may order the agency to rescind its 

disapproval of lawful provisions. 

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

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

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

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

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

casework, the FLRA has developed 

extensive expertise in the Statute and the 

processes for optimal resolution of 

labor-management disputes. The 

guidance that it develops to share this 

expertise comes in the form of its webbased and in-person trainings,

Alternative-Dispute-Resolution (ADR)

services, and other outreach activities. 

These trainings, services, and activities –

when executed alongside the agency’s 

primary case-adjudication responsibilities – are an essential part of how the FLRA aims 

to achieve its mission of promoting stable, constructive labor-management relations 

across the federal government. 
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Organizational Structure

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the FLRA 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. 

FLRA Organizational Chart
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The Authority comprises three 

presidentially nominated and Senateconfirmed Members responsible for

adjudicating ULP complaints, 

determining whether to grant exceptions 

to arbitrators’ grievance-arbitration 

awards, resolving disputes over the 

negotiability of proposals and provisions 

made during collective bargaining, and 

reviewing representation decisions of 

Regional Directors in representation 

disputes over union elections and unit determinations. 

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

The OGC investigates alleged ULP charges, 

files and prosecutes ULP complaints, 

determines representation matters, and 

provides training and ADR services. The 

General Counsel is appointed by the 

President, subject to Senate confirmation, 

and is independent of the Authority. The 

General Counsel has direct authority over, 

and responsibility for, all employees in the 

OGC, including the FLRA’s seven Regional 

Offices—in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, 

Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. 

The FSIP resolves impasses between federal 

agencies and federal unions arising from 

negotiations over conditions of employment 

under the Statute and the Federal 

Employees Flexible and Compressed Work 

Schedules Act. The FSIP normally 

comprises seven part-time Presidential 

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

Foreign Service Labor Relations Board oversees the labor-management relations program 

for Foreign Service employees of the Agency for International Development, the U.S. 

Information Agency, and the Departments of State, Agriculture, and Commerce. The 

Foreign Service Impasse Disputes Panel is responsible for assisting in the resolution of 

negotiation impasses that arise between those Foreign Service employees and federal 

agencies during the collective-bargaining process. 

Stakeholder Engagement

In developing this strategic plan, FLRA leadership undertook a structured process that 

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

base. The strategic-planning team comprised representatives from each FLRA

component and the employees’ representative organization – the UAE. Internally, the

team conducted one-on-one interviews with the FLRA’s entire leadership team, held 

targeted focus-group meetings with managers and employees, and solicited employee 

feedback through online message boards and e-mails.

To gather feedback from external stakeholders, 

the agency held a series of focus groups, in 

which representatives from seven federalemployee unions and twelve federal agencies 

provided input on FLRA services and 

performance. In addition to soliciting feedback 

from agencies that use FLRA resources or who 

are parties to FLRA cases, the FLRA also 

sought input from the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) in the early stages of the 

strategic-planning process. Equipped with

these perspectives – and guided by the FLRA’s core values of transparency, 

accountability, open dialogue, and pre-decisional involvement – the strategic-planning 

team held working sessions to develop and memorialize the goals, objectives, and 

performance measures of this strategic plan.
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FLRA Strategic Goals

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

agency has three strategic goals, which support the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission.
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Goal 1: We will resolve disputes under the Federal Service LaborManagement Relations Statute in a timely, high-quality, and impartial manner 

Goal Overview

The FLRA’s five primary responsibilities, 

as described in the introduction, relate 

directly to the five different types of cases 

that the agency receives from parties: 

Unfair Labor Practice (ULP), 

Representation (REP), Arbitration (ARB), 

Negotiability (NEG), and Bargaining

Impasse (Impasse). The first strategic 

goal reflects that the agency’s key 

statutory activities involve the review 

and adjudication of these cases.

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

impartiality. Labor-management disputes that remain unresolved for a significant 

period of time or that are resolved in an ineffective manner can negatively affect the 

ability of other federal agencies to accomplish their own missions. By evaluating 

progress against these standards, the FLRA will be able to continually improve and 

innovate its case-related processes and contribute to a more effective and efficient 

government.

Strategic Objectives

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

component

It is difficult for parties to gain maximum benefit from the FLRA’s adjudication of their 

cases if case resolution is not swift, or if decisions are issued too late to be relevant to 

the original dispute. Consequently, timeliness measures are essential for accountability 

in the agency’s case-resolution processes. 

The process for each case type is unique, and a majority of the agency’s case types can 

be processed, at various stages, by different combinations of the agency’s independent 

components and offices. For this reason, the FLRA historically has and will continue to 

set separate timeliness measures for each case type. Goals around these measures are 

developed and provided annually in the FLRA’s Performance and Accountability 

Report (PAR). The agency will use the strategies described below to continually 

evaluate progress towards achieving its timeliness measures, and it will streamline and 

innovate processes or revise measures, as necessary, based on assessment of past 
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performance, resources, parties’ needs, and impacts on quality. Employing these 

strategies to facilitate the timely resolution of its cases will allow the FLRA to best serve 

the needs of its parties, and make progress towards its mission of promoting 

constructive, stable labor-management relations. 

Strategies:

The following strategies describe a data-driven process 

that the FLRA will use to achieve its timeliness goals: 

 Establish goals for timeliness measures, and 

discuss lessons learned and best practices, both 

within and among the three components, at 

least annually

 Incorporate timeliness progress reviews into 

existing monthly meeting structure and/or 

other venues in order to share updates and best 

practices, promote accountability, and discuss 

steps for future performance improvement

 Continuously develop and implement process 

and material improvements discussed during 

the monthly progress reviews or at any other 

appropriate time

Contributing Components:

 FLRA Authority 

o OALJ

 FLRA OGC

 FLRA FSIP

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 1.1 include:

 Produce timely review and disposition of each case type (ULP, REP, ARB, NEG, 

Impasse)

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

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

cases, it is universally understood within the agency that parties do not receive 

maximum benefit from timely case decisions without commensurate attention to 

quality. The FLRA judges quality in terms of effective process execution, clear 

communication with 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. As reflected in the strategies for this 

objective, the FLRA is committed to re-evaluating its concept of quality over time to 

increase the value that the agency’s case-resolution processes bring to the federal-sector 

labor-management community. 

Unlike timeliness and quality, impartiality 

is not targeted in a separate strategic 

objective for Goal 1 because it is 

inextricably linked to the agency’s 

definition of quality: faithful execution 

and clear communication of case 

processes, and production of clear, 

well-reasoned decisions, tie directly into 

parties’ confidence in the impartiality of 

the FLRA’s processes. Despite this close 

overlap, impartiality is mentioned explicitly in the language of Goal 1 in order to 

emphasize it as a particularly important aspect of the FLRA’s case-review and 

disposition responsibilities.

Strategies:

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

make progress towards achieving its quality standards:

 Establish goals for quality and discuss lessons learned and best practices, both 

within and among the three components, at least annually

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

and needs for improvement, into existing monthly meeting structure and other 

venues 

 Continuously develop and implement process and material improvements 

discussed during monthly progress reviews and at any other appropriate time 

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

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

etc.
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Contributing Components:

 FLRA Authority

o OALJ

 FLRA OGC 

 FLRA FSIP

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 1.2 include:

 Develop a mechanism for soliciting external feedback on the FLRA caseresolution process

 Score highly on internal quality reviews regarding the case-resolution process 
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Goal 2: We will promote stability in the federal labor-management 

community by providing leadership and guidance through Alternative 

Dispute Resolution and education

Goal Overview

FLRA leadership and employees 

possess considerable knowledge of 

the Statute and, through their 

casework, also have a unique view 

into critical labor-management issues 

and the best practices for handling

disputes that may arise as a result of 

those issues. The FLRA has extensive 

experience applying these areas of 

expertise towards the facilitation of positive and effective labor-management 

relationships, and it has consequently developed a strong understanding of the 

compelling, mutual benefits of positive labor-management relations. Given its unique 

perspective and role, the FLRA is determined to continue serving as a leader in 

facilitating effective and collaborative labor-management relationships, and in actively 

promoting stability in the federal labor-management community, as captured in this 

second strategic goal. 

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

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

incorporated into all of the FLRA’s case 

processes – in every component and at 

every stage of case processing. The FLRA 

will continue to maximize its use of ADR, 

where appropriate, and it will explore 

ways to measure and communicate

ADR’s positive impact and benefits. The 

agency’s education and outreach 

activities include the trainings that it 

provides to the labor-management 

community, as well as its participation in 

leadership forums, such as the National Council on Federal Labor-Management 

Relations (National Council), the American Bar Association, and other professional 

labor and employment law organizations and associations.
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Strategic Objectives

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

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

government

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

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

handling of different types of labormanagement disputes. These and other 

forms of outreach, such as participation 

on the National Council, not only 

empower and educate the members of 

the labor-management community, but 

also spread awareness about the shared 

benefits of positive labor-management 

relations in government, and contribute 

to prevention of disputes. Additionally, 

they allow the FLRA to contribute to the 

implementation and ongoing success of Executive Order 13,522: Creating LaborManagement Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services. 

Based on feedback obtained from parties during the strategic-planning process, the 

FLRA heard first-hand the value that its trainings and resources provide to the labormanagement community. Feedback 

providers also made recommendations for 

improvement, which the FLRA has 

incorporated into the actionable strategies

that support this objective. By targeting its 

outreach to areas of highest need, tailoring 

content to specific audiences, and ensuring 

that its website is an easily navigable and 

content rich case-processing and case-law 

reference for all users, the FLRA can build 

on its reputation as a leader in facilitating 

effective and collaborative labor-management relations. This increases its overall ability 

to promote an effective and efficient government. 
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Strategies:

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

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

and resources:

 Encourage positive, open communication between labor and management 

representatives by supporting labor-management forums and other collaborative

labor-management relationships

 Conduct independent, objective, and timely analyses of labor-management 

issues and trends to inform case and outreach activities

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

 Provide tailored outreach and training, targeting audiences with the greatest 

need

 Improve the FLRA website to make it a truly user-friendly, empowering resource 

for parties and the federal-sector labor-management community

Contributing Components and External Partners:

 FLRA Authority

o OALJ

o CADRO

o Office of the Executive Director

 FLRA OGC

 FLRA FSIP

 National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations

 Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

 Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 2.1 include:

 Provide targeted training, outreach and prevention, and facilitation activities 

within the labor-management community

 Provide up-to-date case-processing and case-law resources and trainings for the 

labor-management community that are effective and useful
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Objective 2.2: Maximize the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution practices in case 

resolution

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

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

understanding on contentious issues and strengthen their underlying relationships. 

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

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

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

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

federal government.

The natural differences between the structure and work of each FLRA component 

necessitate that the conversations around maximizing and measuring the benefits of 

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

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

– and each office’s – unique situation.

Strategies:

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

use of ADR:

 Set standards for how and when ADR should be offered in each component in 

order to maximize parties’ access to ADR

 Evaluate the estimated benefits achieved through implementation of ADR 

practices

Contributing Components:

 FLRA Authority

o OALJ

o CADRO

 FLRA OGC

 FLRA FSIP 

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 2.2 include:

 Successful resolution of a significant portion of FLRA cases through ADR

 Expanded use of ADR in ARB cases
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Goal 3: We will manage our resources effectively and efficiently in order to 

achieve organizational excellence.

Goal Overview

The FLRA’s ability to fulfill its core 

mission under the Statute depends 

on effective management of the 

organization and its resources. The 

organizational-excellence goal 

emphasizes how the agency’s 

employees, information-technology 

(IT) infrastructure, and allocation of 

resources are central to achieving all 

of the strategic goals and objectives 

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

strengthening FLRA operations in targeted areas and identifying improvements that 

will maximize delivery of services while maintaining a highly engaging and 

empowering work environment.

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

needs of the parties that the FLRA serves. Approximately 60% 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 workplace and the workforce 

of the future, while retaining valuable institutional knowledge. Over the past few 

years, the FLRA has consistently ranked among the top small agencies on the Federal 

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

Work in the Federal Government” rankings, and it has been recognized as a top small 

agency for innovation. The agency’s leadership will continue to build on this success to 

develop and retain an engaged, highly skilled, and productive workforce. 

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

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

FLRA will continue to be an effective steward of taxpayer dollars, with a renewed focus 

on maximizing the use of technology for more efficient case processing and data 

analytics to inform operational decision making. The agency’s future operational 

approaches are designed to foster nimble and seamless deployment of resources to 

support productive labor-management relations across the federal government. 
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Strategic Objectives

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

workforce to accomplish the FLRA’s mission

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

because its products and services—whether case decisions, ADR, or training—are laborintensive. Consistent with government-wide trends, the FLRA is faced with increasing 

retirement projections that, if not carefully managed, could lead to a significant loss of 

institutional knowledge. In the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, 15% of the 

FLRA’s respondents reported that they intend to retire within the next 5 years, and, in 

fact, 35% will be eligible. The FLRA has recently been faced with a fairly stagnant level 

of staffing and an increasing case load. These factors combine to create the imperative 

for this objective. 

In order to attract and engage a highly 

skilled workforce to support the FLRA’s 

mission, the agency must invest in its most 

valuable resource—its employees. The 

FLRA will prepare for retirements by 

maximizing and institutionalizing 

knowledge transfer, engaging in 

succession planning to ensure that the next 

generation of leaders is well prepared, and 

developing new employees with the 

technical and leadership skills necessary to 

accomplish the agency’s mission. It has become increasingly important that the FLRA 

promote work-life balance strategies that will allow for efficient processing of a growing 

caseload, while retaining an engaged workforce that is well-equipped to achieve the 

mission. This increased focus on human-capital management and leadership 

development will strengthen the FLRA’s ability to sustain – and improve – its high level 

of mission performance and promote effective and efficient labor-management 

relations. 

Strategies:

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

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

 Employ a targeted recruitment strategy to hire a diverse, highly skilled 

workforce

 Work across components to more effectively build capacity and share knowledge

for leadership development and skills-based redundancies
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 Cultivate a working environment that develops, empowers, and fairly rewards

employees

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

of institutional knowledge

 Promote innovation

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

Contributing Components and External Partners:

 FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

 FLRA OGC 

 FLRA FSIP 

 Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 3.1 include:

 Demonstrate strong recruitment and retention practices

 Maintain and grow agency expertise through employee development

 Develop internal tools and benchmarks for skills assessment, training-needs 

assessment, and effective succession planning

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

streamline and enhance organizational operations

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

how government employees expect to communicate and accomplish their work. To 

meet the modernizing expectations of its 

internal and external stakeholders, the 

FLRA must maximize use of its existing 

technology, and consider possible future 

investments in new technology. 

Enhancing the use of data and electronic 

capabilities will allow for more efficient 

interaction with parties, better 

management of the FLRA’s caseload, and 

a more flexible work environment. As the 

FLRA explores the use of new, innovative 

technologies, decision makers must remain cognizant of the limited resources available 

to invest in new technology. FLRA leadership will ensure that any new, potential IT 

investments are strategic and sound. 
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The FLRA will work to identify IT solutions that drive new levels of performance and 

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

existing technology. A major initiative is the 

electronic-case-filing (eFiling) system that 

was initially implemented in FY 2012. The 

agency began accepting eFilings in FY 2013, 

and it intends to fully implement an “endto-end” electronic case file that will 

significantly streamline the processing and 

handling of cases, while reducing 

procedural deficiencies, by FY 2019. 

Additional gains can be made through 

internal activities that promote skills development. One example is reverse-mentoring,

where employees with a strong understanding of IT capabilities infuse their knowledge 

throughout the agency.

Strategies:

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

the use of IT to gain efficiency:

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

 Enhance employee technology usage and skills at every level

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

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

outreach, and internal operations

Contributing Components and External Partners:

 FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

 FLRA OGC 

 FLRA FSIP 

 Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 3.2 include:

 Expand the use of eFiling

 Utilize data-analytics tools that permit data-driven analysis of agency-wide 

performance and effectiveness
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Objective 3.3: Act as an effective steward of agency resources

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

these resources need to be carefully assessed, effectively managed, and prudently 

deployed. The strategies supporting this objective will provide leadership with the 

information necessary to make complex organizational decisions, while maximizing 

limited resources. This objective differs from the previous two, because it focuses on 

the allocation of resources and the supporting management practices. 

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

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

agency’s leadership will continue to build on the 

success seen in recent years’ Federal Employee

Viewpoint Survey and the Partnership for Public 

Service’s “Best Places to Work in the Federal 

Government” rankings through initiatives like 

updating the employee performancemanagement process to better reflect desired organizational outcomes, enhancing

effective employee development, and promoting fair employee recognition. 

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

and program offices to strengthen performance and cohesion throughout the 

organization. Finally, it will monitor and modify these and other efforts to improve 

performance by renewing its focus on collecting and analyzing data to make effective 

decisions.

Strategies:

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

mission performance:

 Conduct an internal assessment of the “supply and demand” for ADR services

 Develop a workforce-planning system that will allow for better deployment of 

administrative and professional staff when resource needs increase in specific 

offices or regions

 Implement a performance-management process that encourages all FLRA 

employees to achieve objectives that lead to successful organizational outcomes

 Conduct a survey for program-office staff to provide feedback on administrative 

services, at least annually

 Build a strategic-resource-planning process to inform the budget-planning cycle
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Contributing Components and External Partners:

 FLRA Authority

o Office of the Executive Director

 FLRA OGC

 FLRA FSIP 

 Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

 Performance Improvement Council (PIC)

 Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Performance Goals:

Performance goals for Objective 3.3 include:

 Achieve high internal customer-service scores on delivery of administrative 

services

 Meet or exceed established operational measures

 Maintain standing as a leader in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey an in 

the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings
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Major Management Priorities, Challenges, and Risks

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

efficiency, and improving service to its parties, there are external trends and challenges 

that pose a clear risk to overall mission delivery. These trends primarily include budget 

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

legislation or regulation. Over the past few years, there has been an environment of 

great budget uncertainty throughout the federal government. This uncertain fiscal 

environment reduces the FLRA’s flexibility in making resource decisions, such as hiring 

additional staff to address the increasing caseload, dedicating additional resources to 

ADR and training, or investing in IT capabilities that will allow for more efficient case 

processing. To help mitigate budget risks, the FLRA must remain vigilant in focusing 

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

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

The FLRA has experienced an increasing workload due to cases filed in response to 

sequestration, furloughs, and agency budget cuts. It is likely that these trends will 

continue over the next few years, thereby placing 

the FLRA in the continued position of needing to 

achieve more without a commensurate increase in 

resources. Ongoing attrition, coupled with future 

budget uncertainty and an increasing caseload,

could potentially cause a loss of institutional 

knowledge and expertise. While the FLRA is 

known for its highly engaged workforce, future 

employees will likely have different expectations 

around technology and workplace flexibilities; left 

unaddressed, this could lead to recruitment and 

retention issues. Because the FLRA provides its services to over 2.1 million non-Postal 

federal employees worldwide, changes in legislation or regulations that could lead to 

increases in case filings greatly impact it. Together, these trends could affect the 

agency’s ability to meet the goals outlined in this plan, and fulfill its mission under the 

Statute. With potentially challenging times ahead, the FLRA will continue to focus on

its core values of transparency, accountability, open dialogue, and pre-decisional 

involvement, along with its increasing focus on the innovative use of resources and 

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

engagement that contribute to an effective and efficient federal government.

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

three challenges identified by its Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Because of the 

FLRA’s careful and creative management of resources, the OIG no longer considers a 

human-resources shortage to be a critical challenge facing the agency. The remaining 

challenges identified by the Inspector General include IT security and proper handling 
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of records. With respect to these ongoing challenges, the Office of the Executive 

Director, on behalf of the agency, has made and continues to make progress towards 

their resolution with the input of agency leadership, management, and employees and 

their representative union. Detailed information about the agency’s progress towards 

the OIG’s findings is reported annually in the PAR.
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Evidence Building

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

on building evidence to support decision making and to drive innovative approaches 

throughout the agency. The FLRA remains 

committed to continuously building its 

research and evaluation base to help 

develop strategies for effectively achieving 

its mission and to inform budgetary 

allocations across the agency. As part of 

the FLRA’s focus on evidence, agency 

leadership holds monthly, data-driven 

management meetings where meaningful 

discussions occur around program 

performance, areas for improvement, and 

sharing of best practices across components. In addition to program performance, the 

FLRA frequently reviews its administrative services (IT, human resources, and financial 

management), including through use of internal-survey tools, and it seeks continuous 

improvement in internal-service delivery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

conduct internal process reviews that will lead to efficiency gains, and/or conduct 

research on a topic of organizational importance for inclusion in outreach materials. 

The initiation and scope of these evaluations will be assessed throughout the strategicplan period based on the availability of resources and the expected organizational 

impact.

Future Evaluations

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

strategic goals include:

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

gains

 Assess the current employee performance standards and implement 

recommendations that will lead to a more meaningful employee performancereview process
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 Analyze current timeliness and quality standards to identify areas for innovation 

and improvement in processes and in updating standards

 Identify the most effective mechanisms for obtaining party feedback on the 

quality of the FLRA case-resolution process

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

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

being “frequent filers” or having chronically contentious relationships
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Appendix: Abbreviations

ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution

ARB Arbitration*

CADRO Collaboration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Office

eFiling Electronic-case-filing system

FLRA Federal Labor Relations Authority

FSIP Federal Service Impasses Panel, a body comprising seven part-time,

 presidentially appointed Members

Impasse Bargaining Impasse*

IT Information Technology

National Council National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations

NEG Negotiability*

OALJ Office of Administrative Law Judges

OGC Office of the General Counsel

OIG Office of the Inspector General

OMB White House Office of Management and Budget

OPM Office of Personnel Management

PAR Performance and Accountability Report

PIC Performance Improvement Council

REP Representation*

The agency Federal Labor Relations Authority

The Authority Body comprising three presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed 

Members

The Statute Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statue

UAE Union of Authority Employees

ULP Unfair Labor Practice*

*denotes a specific type of case filed with the FLRA