Labor-Management Relations is the interaction of employees, their exclusive representatives, and management to resolve, bilaterally, concerns affecting the working conditions of bargaining unit employees. The program for Department of Commerce (Department) employees (except Foreign Service employees in the International Trade Administration) is governed by Title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 71. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is the independent agency responsible for administering the program. It is comprised of the Authority, the General Counsel, and the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP).

Every eligible Department employee has the right to form, join, or assist any labor organization, or to refrain from any such activity, freely and without fear or penalty or reprisal, and the employee is protected in the exercise of these rights. The Department’s current labor-management relations policy is contained in the Department’s Labor-Management Relations Handbook.

Under the Federal labor-management relations program, the union is the exclusive representative for the employees in the bargaining unit. In many instances, the exclusive representative and management for a particular bargaining unit have negotiated a collective bargaining agreement governing aspects of the working conditions for the employees in the bargaining unit. Copies of current collective bargaining agreements for Department bargaining units are in the Agreements section. 

Under Title 5, U.S.C., Chapter 71, every collective bargaining agreement must contain a negotiated grievance procedure (NGP). The NGP is the exclusive administrative remedy for matters within the scope grievance of the NGP. To view the actual language of an NGP, find the applicable collective bargaining agreement in the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and Other Documents section and the NGP will be one of the provisions of the agreement.

Beginning in FY 2013, all documents subject to Agency Head Review in accordance with DAO 202-711 and title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.) § 7114(c) or 22 U.S.C. § 4113(f) will be available for viewing in the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and Other Documents section.