FLRA Office of General Counsel Announces Web-Based Interactive Training on Executive Order 13522

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Whittle

Phone: 202-218-7791

The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Office of General Counsel (OGC) is pleased to announce that its web-based interactive training on Executive Order 13522, Creating Labor-Management Forums to Improve Delivery of Government Services, is now available on-line. According to FLRA General Counsel, Julia Akins Clark, “The training course is intended to educate Federal employees, and management and union representatives, on the opportunities presented by the Executive Order, and to motivate and encourage participation in Labor-Management Forums, describe pre-decisional involvement, and explain tracking and reporting metrics as outlined by the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations.”

Developing and distributing the training was a collaborative interagency effort among the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) -- which provided technical and production support -- the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) -- which facilitated web hosting -- and the FLRA -- which provided the training content -- demonstrating the three agencies' commitment to enhancing effective and cooperative labor-management relations in the Federal government. FLRA Chairman Carol Waller Pope and General Counsel Clark gratefully acknowledge the VA and OPM for their support of the project.

Federal employees can access the Executive Order training on HR University -- a government-wide electronic training resource -- at www.hru.gov after setting up an account and clicking on “Course Catalogue” to find the link to the “FLRA Office of General Counsel Training: Executive Order 13522.” Agencies may also add the training directly to their Learning Management Systems. Non-Federal employees can access the training through a public link on the VA’s HR Academy at www.vahracademy.com/flra.html.

Over the next year, the interagency effort will produce a number of web-based programs designed by FLRA components, to include: Bargaining Over 5 U.S.C. § 7106(b)(1) Matters; OGC Basic Statutory Training; Authority Arbitration Training; OGC Representation Training; and Federal Service Impasses Panel Training.

The FLRA administers the labor-management relations program for 1.6 million non-Postal Federal employees worldwide, approximately 1.1 million of whom are represented in 2,200 bargaining units. It is charged with providing leadership in establishing policies and guidance related to Federal sector labor-management relations and with resolving disputes under, and ensuring compliance with, the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The OGC is an independent investigative and prosecutorial component of the FLRA, which through its seven regional offices investigates, resolves and prosecutes unfair labor practice charges, resolves representation questions, and provides training and assistance to parties on establishing productive and cooperative labor-management relations.