[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 148 (Tuesday, August 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38626-38627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18579]


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FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE


Arbitration Services; Proposed Agency Information Collection 
Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

ACTION: Notice to Mediation Agencies (Form F-7) Proposed Modifications.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Federal Mediation and 
Conciliation Service (FMCS) agency form F-7 is being revised. Following 
publication of this Notice and any responsive comments, FMCS will 
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for 
review of this Notice to Mediation Agencies (Agency Form F-7) form. The 
request will seek OMB approval of a modified Form F-7 and new 
expiration date of approximately October 1, 2012. FMCS is soliciting 
comments on specific aspects of the collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 3, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments by mail to the Office of Arbitration 
Services, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 2100 K Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20427 or by contacting the person whose name 
appears under the section headed FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
Comments may be submitted also by fax at (202) 606-3749 or electronic 
mail (e-mail) to [email protected]. All comments must be identified 
by the appropriate agency form number. No confidential business 
information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Information 
submitted as a comment concerning this document may be claimed 
confidential by marking any part or all of the information as ``CBI.'' 
Information so marked will not be disclosed but a copy of the comment 
that does contain CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public 
record. FMCS may disclose information not marked confidential publicly 
without prior notice. All written comments will be available for 
inspection in Room 704 at the Washington, DC address above from 8:30 
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vella M. Traynham, Director of 
Arbitration Services, FMCS, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427. 
Telephone (202) 606-5111; Fax (202) 606-3749.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the modified Form F-7 are 
available from the Office of Arbitration Services by calling, faxing or 
writing Vella M. Traynham at the address above. Please ask for the form 
by title and agency form number.

I. Information Collection Requests

    FMCS is seeking comments on the following Information Collection 
Request (ICR).
    Title: Notice to Mediation Agencies; Form F-7; OMB No. 3076-0004;
    Expiration Date: January 31, 2006.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved notice with 
changes in the substance of the form.
    Affected Entities: Parties affected by this information collection 
are private sector employers and labor unions involved in interstate 
commerce that file notices for mediation services to the FMCS.
    Frequency: Parties complete this form once, which is at the time of 
an impending expiration of a collective bargaining agreement.
    Abstract: Under the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, 29 
U.S.C. 158(d), Congress listed specific notice provisions so that no 
party to a collective bargaining agreement can terminate or modify that 
contract, unless the party wishing to terminate or modify the contract 
sends a written notice to the other party sixty days prior to the 
expiration date (29 U.S.C. 158(d)(1)), and offers to meet and confer 
with the other party for the purpose of negotiating a new or modified 
contract (29 U.S.C. 158(d)(2)). Furthermore, the Act requires that 
parties notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service within 
thirty days after such notice of the existence of a bargaining dispute 
(29 U.S.C. 158(d)(3)). The 1974 amendments to the National Labor 
Relations Act, which extended coverage to nonprofit health care 
institutions, also created a notification procedure in the health care 
industry requiring parties to notify each other 90 days in advance of 
termination and 60 days in advance to FMCS (29 U.S.C. 158(d)). This 
amendment also requires 30-day notification of bargaining for an 
initial agreement to the FMCS. To facilitate handling of more than 
18,000 such notices a year, FMCS created a specific information 
collection form. The purpose of this information collection activity is 
for FMCS to comply with its statutory duty to receive these notices, to 
facilitate assignment of mediators to assist in labor disputes, and to 
assist the parties in knowing whether or not proper notice was given. 
The information from these notices is sent electronically to the 
appropriate field manager who assigns the cases to a mediator so that 
the mediator may

[[Page 38627]]

contact labor and management quickly, efficiently, and offer dispute 
resolution services. Either party to a contract may make a request in 
writing for a copy of the notice filed with FMCS. The F-7 form was 
created to allow FMCS to gather desired information in a uniform 
manner. The collection of such information, including the name of the 
employer or employer association, address and phone number, e-mail 
address, official contact, bargaining unit and establishment size, 
location of affected establishment and negotiations, industry, union 
address, phone number, e-mail address and official contact, contract 
expiration date or renewal date, whether the notice is filed on behalf 
of the employer or the union, and whether this is a health care 
industry notice is critical for reporting and mediation purposes.
    Burden Statement: The current annual burden estimate is 
approximately 18,000 respondents. This one-page form takes about 10 
minutes to complete.

II. Request for Comments

    FMCS solicits comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collecton of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information to be collected will have practical 
utility.
    (ii) Enhance the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information.
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected.
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic collection technologies or other forms of information 
technology.

III. The Official Record

    The official record is the paper electronic record maintained at 
the address at the beginning of this document. FMCS will transfer all 
electronically received comments into printed-paper form as they are 
received.

    Dated: July 30, 2009.
Michael J. Bartlett,
Deputy General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E9-18579 Filed 8-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6732-01-P