Source: http://openjurist.org/962/f2d/48/department-of-navy-marine-corps-logistics-base-albany-georgia-v-federal-labor-relations-authority
Timestamp: 2014-09-30 12:14:23
Document Index: 390069147

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7101', '§ 7102', '§ 7103', '§ 7103', '§ 7106', '§ 7106', '§ 7117', '§ 7116']

962 F2d 48 Department of Navy Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia v. Federal Labor Relations Authority | OpenJurist
962 F. 2d 48 - Department of Navy Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia v. Federal Labor Relations Authority	Home962 f2d 48 department of navy marine corps logistics base albany georgia v. federal labor relations authority
962 F2d 48 Department of Navy Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Georgia v. Federal Labor Relations Authority 962 F.2d 48
140 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2206, 295 U.S.App.D.C. 239
DEPARTMENT OF the NAVY, MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE, ALBANY,GEORGIA, Petitioner,v.FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY, Respondent,American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Intervenor.MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE, BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, Petitioner,v.FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY, Respondent,American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, Intervenor.
Nos. 91-1211, 91-1212.
Argued Feb. 24, 1992.Decided April 24, 1992.
Petitions for Review and Cross-Applications for Enforcement of Orders of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Robert M. Loeb, Atty., Dept. of Justice, with whom Stuart M. Gerson, Asst. Atty. Gen., and John F. Daly, Atty., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., were on the brief, for petitioners in 91-1211 and 91-1212.
James F. Blandford, Atty., Federal Labor Relations Authority, with whom William E. Persina, Sol., William R. Tobey, Deputy Sol., and Arthur A. Horowitz, Associate Sol., Washington, D.C., were on the brief, for respondent in 91-1211 and 91-1212. Frederick M. Herrera, Atty., Washington, D.C., also entered an appearance for respondent.
Mark D. Roth, Charles A. Hobbie and Alexia McCaskill, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for intervenor in 91-1211 and 91-1212.
The question presented in this case is whether an agency, which has reached agreement with a union regarding the procedures to be followed in exercising a management right, and has memorialized the agreed-upon procedures in a collective bargaining agreement, must nonetheless bargain with the union anew when it takes action pursuant to the agreement. The Federal Labor Relations Authority answered this question in the affirmative. We reverse.
In 1987, the United States Marine Corps ("Marine Corps") reassigned several employees at its Albany, Georgia, facility to temporary duties and established new performance standards for certain employees at its Barstow, California, facility. Because both actions were taken pursuant to contractual authority, the Marine Corps refused to engage in any further "impact and implementation" bargaining with union representatives before effecting the reassignments and the new performance standards. The Federal Labor Relations Authority ("FLRA" or "Authority") held that the agency had committed unfair labor practices by failing to consult and bargain with the union over the disputed actions, even though the applicable collective bargaining agreement contained provisions covering the implementation of both actions, and the Marine Corps had followed the procedures prescribed by the agreement. Rejecting the Marine Corps' contention that it had no duty to bargain because the impact and implementation matters at issue were "covered by" the collective bargaining agreement, the Authority held that bargaining was required because the agreement did not "clearly and unmistakably waive" the union's bargaining right. See Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, Cal., 39 F.L.R.A. 1126 (1991) ("Barstow"); Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Logistics Base, Albany, Ga., 39 F.L.R.A. 1060 (1991) ("Albany").
We hold that the Authority committed legal error in Albany and Barstow by improperly equating the question of whether the disputed agency actions were "covered by" the collective bargaining agreement with the question of whether the union had waived its right to bargain. A waiver occurs when a union knowingly and voluntarily relinquishes its right to bargain over a matter; but where the matter is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the union has exercised its bargaining right and the question of waiver is irrelevant. The Authority properly recognized that there is no duty to bargain over matters "covered by" a collective bargaining agreement; since the reassignments at the Albany, Georgia, facility and the implementation of performance standards at the Barstow, California, facility were "covered by" the parties' collective bargaining agreement, neither matter should have been subject to further bargaining except upon mutual consent. The Authority, however, avoided this result by purporting to rely on a "waiver" analysis, pursuant to which "covered by" is defined so narrowly that bargaining always will be required. By adopting this flawed approach, the Authority departed from its own prior cases and the private sector principles upon which it purported to rely; it also reached results at odds with both the governing statute and common sense. Accordingly, we reverse the Authority's decisions in both cases.
The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, 5 U.S.C. §§ 7101-7135 (1988) ("FSLMRS" or "Statute"), grants most federal employees the right to organize and bargain collectively. See id. §§ 7102, 7103(a)(2). It requires agencies to negotiate with the recognized bargaining representative of their employees regarding "conditions of employment," id. § 7103(a)(12), which are defined as "personnel policies, practices, and matters ... affecting working conditions," id. § 7103(a)(14). However, the Statute specifically excludes certain "management rights" from the duty to bargain. These include matters such as hiring decisions, the assignment of work and the establishment of performance standards. See id. § 7106(a)(2).
Although an agency is not required to bargain with respect to its management rights per se, it is required to negotiate about the "impact and implementation" of those rights--that is, the "procedures which management officials of the agency will observe in exercising" management rights and "appropriate arrangements for employees adversely affected by the exercise" of such rights. Id. § 7106(b)(2), (3); see also United States Dep't of the Air Force v. FLRA, 949 F.2d 475, 477 & n. 2 (D.C.Cir.1991). The FSLMRS also requires agencies to consult with employee unions before implementing "any substantive change in conditions of employment proposed by the agency." 5 U.S.C. § 7117(d)(2)(A). An agency commits an unfair labor practice if it refuses to bargain over "impact and implementation" issues or fails to consult with the employees' representative over proposed changes in conditions of employment.1 Id. § 7116(a)(5).
The cases at bar concern duty to bargain disputes between the Marine Corps and the American Federation of Government Employees ("AFGE"), which is the recognized bargaining representative of certain civilian employees at the Marine Corps' Albany, Georgia, and Barstow, California, facilities. The relationship between the Marine Corps and the AFGE is governed by a collective bargaining agreement called the Master Labor Agreement ("MLA"). The MLA establishes a grievance procedure to resolve disputes over the interpretation of the agreement and contains an "integration" clause which provides that the MLA constitutes the "total agreement" between the parties. See Albany, 39 F.L.R.A. at 1062, 1064.
The MLA sets forth procedures governing the exercise of certain management rights, including the temporary reassignment ("detailing") of employees and the establishment of performance standards. The disputes underlying the instant petitions for review arose when the Marine Corps decided to "detail" four employees at its Albany facility and to modify the performance criteria applicable to certain employees at its Barstow facility. The AFGE requested consultation and "impact and implementation" bargaining with respect to both decisions, but the Marine Corps refused.
A. Petition No. 91-1211 (Albany, Georgia)
Article 16 of the MLA governs the "detailing" of employees. It provides that an employee's duties may be changed in order to "meet[ ] temporary needs ... when necessary services cannot be obtained by other desirable or practical means"; the reassignment may be to a higher or lower grade level, or to a set of duties that has not yet been classified. See Albany, 39 F.L.R.A. at 1077 n. 1 (ALJ Decision) (reprinting Article 16). Article 16 also places limits upon the duration of a "detail" and addresses certain procedural matters relevant to the implementation of details, including how details must be documented, when details will result in temporary promotions, when competitive procedures must be used and how deductions of union dues will be handled for detailed employees. See id. Disputes arising from management decisions to detail employees are subject to the grievance procedure contained in Article 13 of the MLA. See id. at 1078.
In May 1987, the management of the Marine Corps facility at Albany, Georgia, decided to reassign four employees in order to address an unexpected need for vehicle maintenance services. Two "automotive repair inspectors" and two "mobile equipment servicers" were "detailed" to assist the facility's regular auto mechanics for a period of 120 days. Although none of the reassigned employees suffered a reduction in pay, their new work was less desirable than their former duties. The Marine Corps informed the union steward at the facility of the reassignment decision on the day that it took effect.2 The AFGE subsequently requested bargaining with the Marine Corps over the impact of the reassignment on the four affected employees. The Marine Corps refused, asserting that it had no bargaining obligation because it had complied with the procedures contained in Article 16 of the MLA. In June 1987, the AFGE filed an unfair labor practice charge, asserting that the Marine Corps had violated its statutory duty to bargain.
On August 31, 1988, an Administrative Law Judge issued a decision in the union's favor. The ALJ reached this result by applying a waiver analysis. He began by finding that the temporary reassignment of the four employees constituted a change in their conditions of employment in that the new assignments were less desirable and might prejudice the employees' prospects for promotion; because this change was more than de minimis, the ALJ reasoned, the Marine Corps was required to bargain about the change unless the union had waived its right to bargain. See id. at 1081. Turning to the language of Article 16, the ALJ found that the Article did not constitute a "clear and unmistakable" waiver of the AFGE's right to bargain about the impact and implementation of the decision to detail. Id. at 1082. Having found the existence of a duty to bargain and no waiver by the union, the ALJ held that the Marine Corps had committed an unfair labor practice by refusing to negotiate with the AFGE. Id. at 1083.
On appeal of the ALJ's decision, the Marine Corps' primary argument was that it had no obligation to bargain because it had bargained over the impact and implementation of "detailing" during collective bargaining negotiations, with Article 16 being the result of that bargaining; as a result, the Marine Corps contended, the ALJ erred by analyzing the case in terms of waiver. The Authority rejected the Marine Corps' argument and affirmed the ALJ's decision, although on somewhat different grounds than those advanced by the ALJ. See Albany, 39 F.L.R.A. at 1065-70.
The Authority began its analysis by agreeing with the Marine Corps that if a matter that would otherwise be a mandatory subject of bargaining is "covered by" a collective bargaining agreement, there is no further obligation on the part of either party to bargain about the matter during the term of the agreement. Id. at 1065. However, purportedly relying upon its decision in Internal Revenue Service, 29 F.L.R.A. 162 (1987), the Authority proceeded to apply a very narrow test for determining when a matter is "covered by" a collective bargaining agreement.
The Authority will consider a negotiable matter to be covered by the agreement, and therefore to be removed from the area of required bargaining, if the particular subject matter of a union's bargaining request is specifically addressed in the negotiated agreement. If the particular subject matter is not specifically addressed, ... we then look to see whether the union nevertheless otherwise waived its right to engage in future bargaining about that subject.
Albany, 39 F.L.R.A. at 1065 (emphasis added). Relying upon the ALJ's findings, the Authority held that the MLA did not "specifically address" the "particular subject matter" of the union's bargaining request--i.e., the impact of the "detail" on the four affected employees--because the Agreement did not contain provisions regarding the " 'implementation of individual details on the local level.' " Id. at 1067 (quoting ALJ Decision) (emphasis added).
The Authority next turned to the question of whether the AFGE had "otherwise waived" its bargaining right. Applying the same "specifically addressed" standard set forth above, the FLRA found that Article 16 did not waive the union's right to bargain. Id. at 1069-70. The Authority further concluded that neither the MLA's integration clause nor the parties' bargaining history effected a waiver of the AFGE's bargaining right. Id. at 1069 n. 5, 1070. Accordingly, the Authority held that the Marine Corps had violated the Statute and entered a bargaining order.
B. Petition No. 90-1212 (Barstow, California)
Article 31 of the MLA governs the establishment of a "performance appraisal system" by the Marine Corps. It provides, inter alia, that: (1) management will establish "performance elements" and "performance standards"; (2) employees must be given the chance to participate in the establishment of performance standards; (3) employees must be given adequate notice of the standards that apply to them; (4) employees may propose changes in performance standards at any time; and (5) the standards established must be "fair and reasonable." See Barstow, 39 F.L.R.A. at 1139 (ALJ Decision). Article 13 of the MLA subjects disputes regarding performance criteria to the MLA's grievance and arbitration procedures.
In July 1987, the management of the Marine Corps' facility at Barstow, California, decided to modify the performance criteria applicable to some of its production employees. On July 31, 1987, supervisors held a meeting with the affected employees at which the proposed changes were discussed. The shop foreman subsequently met individually with each employee and solicited input regarding the new performance standards. Id. As the Authority acknowledges, these actions fully complied with the requirements of Article 31.
On August 7, 1987, the AFGE requested bargaining over the implementation of the new performance standards. The Marine Corps refused to barg