The FLRA is committed to the government's goals of transparency, participation, and collaboration for the American population. Consistent with this commitment, the FLRA has a Plain Language initiative, which includes our Plain Language web page.
Our Plan
Transparency
The FLRA provides citizens with current information about the case filings and closings in the various components of the agency. The most recent information on case processing can be found in the FLRA's FY 2018 Performance and Accountability Report. The FLRA posts such reports on the agency's Budget & Performance and Public Affairs webpages.
The FLRA also provides updated information on the number of open and closed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases. In FY 2018, the FLRA received and processed many FOIA requests. This fiscal year's quarterly datasets, as well as last year's annual report (including a machine readable version), are continuously updated and can be found in the FLRA's Electronic Reading Room. Many years of historical FOIA data is provided on the reading room webpage.
The FLRA's website additionally provides information on the agency's administration and structure, including an organizational chart. Additionally, the FLRA's strategic plans are available to the public. As part of the agency's strategic planning efforts, and consistent with the government-wide initiative to leverage existing data to facilitate agencies’ programmatic work, the FLRA monitors its progress in accomplishing the goals and measures set forth in the agency’s Annual Performance Plan. The FLRA makes its Congressional Budget Justifications and its Performance Plans available to the public on the agency's Public Affairs webpage. The agency is also currently in the process of ensuring that its available data is submitted to the data.gov project in an "open" format.
While the FLRA recognizes the value of providing data and information to various stakeholders, protecting the privacy of both federal employees and the public is also a high priority at the agency. On the FLRA’s Privacy Policy webpage, you can find information on how the agency handles personally identifiable information, what information is collected and stored, and instructions for submitting a Privacy Act request. On the Privacy Policy webpage, you can also find the FLRA’s Privacy Impact Assessments and its System of Records Notices.
Participation
The FLRA will continue to solicit advice from experts both inside and outside of government in the development or refinement of policies and procedures. The FLRA has seen significant strides in its "Engage the FLRA" initiative for incorporating the public's ideas into creative and proactive procedures.
Collaboration
The FLRA is committed to collaborating with the public and other government agencies and industry to find innovative ways to accomplish its mission. The FLRA continues to reach out to the parties to offer training concerning the Statute and FLRA processes.
Annual Open Government Progress Report
September 15, 2019: In FY2019, the FLRA continued to implement and refine the above initiatives. In addition to updating its website concerning all of the issues listed above, the FLRA sought public comment about the award of attorneys fees in the federal collective-bargaining context and whether it should issue a general statement of policy or guidance concerning the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, 138 S. Ct. 2448 (2018). To enhance public accessibility to FLRA decisions, it began compiling case digests, which it will publish in the Authority Quarterly Digest Report. In FY2020, the FLRA will maintain its current efforts and continue to explore ways to increase institutional transparency and responsiveness to the public.
September 15, 2020: In FY2020, the FLRA continued its open government efforts. The FLRA began issuing quarterly digests of its decisions, created a new webpage that lists its policy statements and summarizes them, and released an animated video informing members of the public how to eFile cases with the FLRA. The FLRA further sought public comment concerning three proposed policy statements, a proposed negotiability regulation, and a rule concerning employee union dues revocation. In the case of its final dues revocation rule, the FLRA issued a Federal Register notice summarizing the public comments it received and responding to them. Throughout FY2020, the FLRA issued frequent press releases (often several times a month) informing parties of its operating status, website changes, and other ongoing matters that affect the public. The FLRA will maintain its commitment to the government's goals of transparency, participation, and collaboration in FY2021. During that year, the FLRA expects to release even more training videos concerning the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute, which governs the FLRA.