Source: http://openjurist.org/715/f2d/224
Timestamp: 2013-05-25 10:11:10
Document Index: 204303194

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 706', '§ 706', '§ 7123', '§ 7115', '§ 7105', '§ 7115', '§ 7116']

715 F2d 224 American Federation of Government Employees v. Federal Labor Relations Authority | OpenJurist
715 F. 2d 224 - American Federation of Government Employees v. Federal Labor Relations Authority	Home715 f2d 224 american federation of government employees v. federal labor relations authority
715 F2d 224 American Federation of Government Employees v. Federal Labor Relations Authority 715 F.2d 224
114 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2529
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, LOCAL1816, Petitioner,v.FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY, Respondent.
No. 82-4334.
Judicial review of FLRA decisions is governed by § 706 of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706. 5 U.S.C. § 7123(c). Section 706(2)(A), in turn, provides that agency action must be set aside where found to be "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law." In evaluating the FLRA's interpretation of § 7115 under this standard, we must adhere to the familiar " 'principle that the construction of a statute by those charged with its execution should be followed unless there are compelling indications that it is wrong.' " National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1451 v. FLRA, 652 F.2d 191, 193 (D.C.Cir.1981) ( quoting from Miller v. Youakim, 440 U.S. 125, 145 n. 25, 99 S.Ct. 957, 969 n. 25, 59 L.Ed.2d 194 (1979)). Accord, Veterans Administration Medical Center v. FLRA, 675 F.2d 260 (11th Cir.1982). Inasmuch as Congress has entrusted the FLRA with the administration of Title VII of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. § 7105(a)(1), its reading of the statute must be sustained if there exists a rational basis therefor. See United States Department of Agriculture v. FLRA, 691 F.2d 1242 (8th Cir.1982), National Treasury Employees' Union v. FLRA, 691 F.2d 553 (D.C.Cir.1982); Internal Revenue Service v. FLRA, 671 F.2d 560 (D.C.Cir.1982).
United States Department of Agriculture v. FLRA, 691 F.2d at 1247 ( quoting from SEC v. Sloan, 436 U.S. 103, 118, 98 S.Ct. 1702, 1711, 56 L.Ed.2d 148 (1978)). Hence if the text or legislative history of the Act are at odds with the FLRA's interpretation, this inconsistency is sufficient to overcome the deference generally accorded an agency's interpretation of its enabling statute. American Federation of Government Employees v. FLRA, 702 F.2d 1183 (D.C.Cir.1983). See also National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1451 v. FLRA, 652 F.2d at 193 (suggesting, in dictum, that special scrutiny of an FLRA decision may be required "where [as in the case at bar] a petitioner alleges that the FLRA has simply followed old practices and not adopted the revised mandates of the CSRA").
That the union members whose dues were wrongfully appropriated were not in imminent danger of expulsion or suspension as a result of nonpayment is irrelevant. Nor do the nature and extent of the benefits inuring to Brown through her uninterrupted enrollment in Local 1816 after her promotion figure in the statutory equation; we are not concerned here with the union's entitlement to Brown's dues. We look only to the method of recoupment. Finally, it is unnecessary for us to address the dual question of the Air Force's responsibility to reimburse Brown for sums mistakenly deducted, and her right to receive these sums despite her union status. Though we recognize the government employer's prerogative "to recover by offset or otherwise sums illegally or erroneously paid," Lodge 2424, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO v. United States, 215 Ct.Cl. 125, 564 F.2d 66, 71 (1977), the fact remains that the monies against which it effected a set-off belonged to innocent third parties, with the employer's only interest at the time of allotment being the transmittal of such monies to Local 1816. Having thus impinged upon employee protections secured by § 7115(a), Goodfellow's conduct falls within the ambit of §§ 7116(a)(1) and (8).
National Treasury Employees Union v. FLRA, 691 F.2d 553, 554 (D.C.Cir.1982) (footnotes omitted). Congress established the FLRA, an independent bipartisan agency within the Executive Branch modeled on the National Labor Relations Board, to construe and implement Title VII of the Act. Like the NLRB, the FLRA has been invested with both rulemaking and adjudicatory powers, and may determine appropriate units for labor organization and bargaining, conduct representation elections, adjudicate unfair labor practices, and resolve exceptions to arbitration awards. Id.; Department of Defense, Army-Air Force Exchange v. FLRA, 659 F.2d 1140, 1144 (D.C.Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 945, 102 S.Ct. 1443, 71 L.Ed.2d 658 (1982).
The ALJ expressly relied on two decisions which preceded the enactment of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978: Lodge 2424, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO v. United States, 215 Ct.Cl. 125, 564 F.2d 66 (1977) (upholding United States Comptroller General's decision approving federal agency's set-off of illegally-deducted dues, reported at 54 Comp.Gen. 921 (1975)); Headquarters, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1770, AFL-CIO, 6 FLRC 93 (1978) (opinion of FLRA's predecessor, Federal Labor Relations Council, deferring to Comptroller General's ruling in 54 Comp.Gen. 921 (1975)). While finding that these decisions had not been superseded by the Act, neither the ALJ nor the FLRA considered the impact of the Comptroller General's modification of his prior opinion in In re: Recoupment of Union Dues--Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, File No. B-180095 (September 8, 1980). Citing an unpublished decision wherein a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction restraining the government employer, on equitable grounds, from recovering erroneously deducted allotments corresponding to the dues of employees who were promoted out of the bargaining unit but remained union members, American Federation of Government Employees Local 1858 (AFL-CIO) v. Alexander, Civil No. 78-W-5023-NE (N.D.Ala.1978), the Comptroller General concluded that the Army was not obligated to refund improperly withheld dues to newly-promoted supervisory employees where the latter had failed to provide timely notice that their allotments should be cancelled. For this reason, the Comptroller General determined that the employer need not recoup such dues from current allotment checks disbursed to the union
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