Opinion ID: 151423
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Labor Relations at the Board

Text: The employees of the Board have engaged in collective bargaining since before the enactment of the Statute and been subdivided for that purpose into six bargaining units separating employees based at headquarters from employees in the regional offices, professional employees from non-professional employees, and Board-side employees from GC-side employees. In 2005 the Union, which was already the exclusive bargaining representative of each separate unit, petitioned the Authority to consolidate four of the six units into one bargaining unit. As reflected in the following table, the consolidated unit would include all employees of the Board except professional employees based at headquarters. ------------------------------------------------------------ Employees Before After ------------------------------------------------------------ Board-side Separate Headquarters-based Bargaining Non-professional Unit ------------------------------------ GC-side Separate Single Headquarters-based Bargaining Bargaining Unit Non-professional Unit ------------------------------------ GC-side Regional Separate Non-professional Bargaining Unit ------------------------------------ GC-side Regional Separate Professional Bargaining Unit ------------------------------------------------------------- In 2006 a Regional Director of the Authority granted the Union's request over the objection of the Board, which argued consolidation would undermine the independent supervisory authority granted the General Counsel in § 3(d) by requiring the General Counsel to bargain jointly with the Board over his employees' conditions of employment. The Board applied to the Authority for review of the Regional Director's decision, and the Authority granted that application, noting the absence of precedent about whether the statutory authority provided to the Agency's GC in § 3(d) precludes GC and Board employees from being included in the same bargaining unit. In 2007 the Authority found no conflict and affirmed the Regional Director's decision to consolidate the units, holding, inter alia, the history of cooperation between the Board and the General Counsel in labor relations undercut the Board's argument that § 3(d) precluded consolidation. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd., 62 F.L.R.A. 25 (2007). Barred under 5 U.S.C. § 7123(a)(2) from seeking judicial review of the Authority's unit determination, the Board followed the only path open to it, as discussed in Ass'n of Civilian Technicians v. FLRA, 283 R3d 339, 342 (D.C.Cir.2002), refusing to bargain, drawing an unfair labor practice charge, and appealing that charge to the Authority and then to a court of appeals. Id. at 343.