Source: http://openjurist.org/962/f2d/1055/federal-labor-relations-authority-v-united-states-department-of-commerce
Timestamp: 2015-04-02 08:15:37
Document Index: 329581396

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7114', '§ 7114', '§ 7114', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 7114']

962 F2d 1055 Federal Labor Relations Authority v. United States Department of Commerce | OpenJurist
962 F. 2d 1055 - Federal Labor Relations Authority v. United States Department of Commerce	Home962 f2d 1055 federal labor relations authority v. united states department of commerce
962 F2d 1055 Federal Labor Relations Authority v. United States Department of Commerce 962 F.2d 1055
140 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2281, 295 U.S.App.D.C. 263
FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY, Petitioner,v.UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration, National WeatherService, Silver Spring, Maryland, Respondent,National Weather Service Employees Organization, Intervenor.
No. 91-1175.
Argued Jan. 21, 1992.Decided April 24, 1992.Rehearing Denied June 25, 1992.
James F. Blandford, Attorney, Federal Labor Relations Authority, with whom William E. Persina, Sol., William R. Tobey, Deputy Sol., and Arthur A. Horowitz, Associate Sol., were on the brief, for petitioner.
William G. Cole, Attorney, Dept. of Justice, with whom Stuart M. Gerson, Asst. Atty. Gen., and William Kanter, Attorney, were on the brief, for respondent.
Richard J. Hirn, for intervenor.
Before SILBERMAN, WILLIAMS, and SENTELLE, Circuit Judges.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority ("FLRA" or "Authority") seeks judicial enforcement of its order directing the National Weather Service ("NWS") to supply the National Weather Service Employees Organization ("Union") the names, duty stations, and locations of all bargaining unit employees who had received outstanding or commendable personnel evaluations. Attacking the merits of the order, the NWS asserts that it did not commit an unfair labor practice ("ULP") when it refused to provide the Union with the requested information. The FLRA argues that we have no jurisdiction to review the merits as the NWS did not timely petition for judicial review of the order. Concluding that we do have jurisdiction to consider the merits, we deny enforcement because disclosure of the requested information would violate the Privacy Act of 1974.
The NWS, a component of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, uses a two-part evaluation form for its employees under the General Workforce Performance Appraisal System--the first part of the form requires the rater to give a narrative explanation of the worker's performance, and the second part characterizes the worker as outstanding, commendable, fully successful, marginal, or unsatisfactory. During the 1986 rating year, about 9% of NWS workers received outstanding ratings, 41% received commendable ratings, and the remaining 50% received fully successful, marginal, or unsatisfactory ratings.
In March of 1986, the Union's Western Region Chairman, Mr. Alan Olson, advised the NWS about the Union's concern with the NWS's performance appraisal system; specifically, the granting of awards and outstanding ratings. When the NWS did not address these concerns to Mr. Olson's satisfaction, he filed a grievance which was denied at the first and second steps of the grievance procedure. The Union invoked arbitration in September of 1986, but subsequently withdrew the invocation of arbitration.
In the meantime, Mr. Olson wrote to the Acting Regional Director of the Western Region of NWS requesting that he supply the Union with the "names and duty stations of bargaining unit employees in the Western Region who received ratings of commendable or outstanding based on the rating period of 1985-86." Brief of Petitioner at 5. He explained that the Union would use the information to understand better the rating system and to protect bargaining unit employees from inequities or improper administration. Citing concerns raised by the Privacy Act of 1974, the NWS refused to supply the names of employees receiving outstanding or commendable ratings, but offered to provide the names and duty stations of employees receiving awards. Finding this proposal unsatisfactory, the Union filed a ULP complaint with the FLRA.
B. The FLRA Proceedings
An FLRA Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ") considered the Union's ULP charge. Department of Commerce, National Weather Service and National Weather Service Employees Organization, OALJ-88-133 (Sept. 9, 1988) ("National Weather Service "), reprinted in Joint Appendix ("J.A.") 86. The Union argued that pursuant to § 7114(b) of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute ("FSLMRS"), the NWS had an obligation to disclose information that "is reasonably available and necessary for full and proper discussion, understanding, and negotiation of subjects within the scope of collective bargaining" if the release of such information is "not prohibited by law." Respondent's Post-Hearing Brief at 21-22 (quoting 5 U.S.C. § 7114(b)(4)(B)), reprinted in J.A. at 63-64. The ALJ agreed that the information the Union requested met the criteria for release under § 7114(b), but noted that "there remains the question whether disclosure would conflict with the Privacy Act," 5 U.S.C. § 552a. National Weather Service, slip op. at 7.
The ALJ explained that the Privacy Act incorporates the bar contained in exemption 6 of the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") against disclosure of information which "would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." Id. at 7-8 (citing 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6)). After balancing the Union's need for the information against the rated employees' privacy interests, the ALJ concluded that "disclosure of unsanitized data would have resulted in a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy." Id. at 9 (citations and footnote omitted). As such, disclosure would violate the Privacy Act, and the ALJ determined that under § 7114(b), the Union could not receive the names of bargaining unit employees who had received outstanding or commendable ratings. Id.
The Authority reversed the ALJ's decision on November 13, 1990. U