[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 62 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 15008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7403]


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NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: National Mediation Board (NMB).
SUMMARY: The Director, Office of Administration, invites comments on 
the proposed information collection requests as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments within 30 days 
from the date of this publication.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an 
early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. OMB 
may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the 
extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat 
the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal 
law, or substantially interfere with any agency's ability to perform 
its statutory obligations. The Director, Office of Administration, 
publishes that notice containing proposed information collection 
requests prior to submission of these requests to OMB. Each proposed 
information collection contains the following: (1) Type of review 
requested, e.g. new, revision extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) 
Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, 
and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of 
collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Record keeping burden. OMB invites 
public comment.
    Currently, the National Mediation Board is soliciting comments 
concerning the proposed extension of the Application for Investigation 
of Representation Dispute and is interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the agency; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might the agency enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the 
agency minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, 
including through the use of information technology.

    Dated: March 30, 2009.
June D.W. King,
Director, Office of Administration, National Mediation Board.

Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute

    Type of Review: Extension.
    Title: Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute,
    OMB Number: 3140-0001.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Affected Public: Carrier and Union Officials, and employees of 
railroads and airlines.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

    Responses: 68 annually.
    Burden Hours: 17.00.

    Abstract: When a dispute arises among a carrier's employees as to 
who will be their bargaining representative, the National Mediation 
Board (NMB) is required by Section 2, Ninth, to investigate the 
dispute, to determine who is the authorized representative, if any, and 
to certify such representative. The NMB's duties do not arise until its 
services have been invoked by a party to the dispute. The Railway Labor 
Act is silent as to how the invocation of a representation dispute is 
to be accomplished and the NMB has not promulgated regulations 
requiring any specific vehicle. Nonetheless, 29 CFR 1203.2, provides 
that applications for the services of the NMB under Section 2, Ninth, 
to investigate representation disputes may be made on printed forms 
secured from the NMB's Office of Legal Affairs or on the Internet at 
http://www.nmb.gov/representation/rapply.html. The application requires 
the following information: The name of the carrier involved; the name 
or description of the craft or class involved; the name of the 
petitioning organization or individual; the name of the organization 
currently representing the employees, if any; the names of any other 
organizations or representatives involved in the dispute; and the 
estimated number of employees in the craft or class involved. This 
basic information is essential in providing the NMB with the details of 
the dispute so that it can determine what resources will be required to 
conduct an investigation.
    The extension of this form is necessary considering the information 
is used by the Board in determining such matters as how many staff will 
be required to conduct an investigation and what other resources must 
be mobilized to complete our statutory responsibilities. Without this 
information, the Board would have to delay the commencement of the 
investigation, which is contrary to the intent of the Railway Labor 
Act.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://www.nmb.gov or should be addressed to 
Denise Murdock, NMB, 1301 K Street NW, Suite 250 E, Washington, DC 
20005 or addressed to the e-mail address [email protected] or faxed to 
202-692-5081. Please specify the complete title of the information 
collection when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be directed to June D.W. King at 202-692-5010 or 
via internet address [email protected]. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD/TDY) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

[FR Doc. E9-7403 Filed 4-1-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7550-01-P