Steps Can Be Taken To Improve Federal Labor-Management Relations and Reduce the Number and Costs of Unfair Labor Practice Charges

Gao ID: FPCD-83-5 November 5, 1982

GAO reported on the efficiency of the unfair labor practice (ULP) process under the Civil Service Reform Act to determine the nature of ULP charges and complaints and to identify ways to avoid them.

GAO believes that many disputes between agencies, employees, and unions could be resolved informally, thereby improving labor-management relations and avoiding the high costs associated with the formal ULP process. GAO found that many ULP charges are filed as a result of allegations that managers failed to negotiate changes in working conditions. GAO believes that assessment of these changes to determine whether they substantially effect employees could reduce the number and cost of ULP charges. GAO also found that an alternative to the ULP process, the negotiated grievance/arbitration procedure, is not used because unions incur greater costs when using this procedure. Precedent decisions and precharge discussions can be used more frequently to resolve disputes. GAO also found that, if managers are properly trained in collective bargaining and if agencies monitor and evaluate the ULP process, the number and costs of ULP charges can be further reduced.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Rosslyn S. Kleeman Team: General Accounting Office: Federal Personnel and Compensation Division Phone: (202) 512-9204


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