[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12798-12799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04267]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of Labor-Management Standards


Extension of Information Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to 
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, 
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) of the 
Department of Labor (Department) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed extension of the collection of information requirements 
implementing Executive Order (E.O.) 13496: Notification of Employee 
Rights Under Federal Labor Laws. A copy of the proposed information 
collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed 
below in the addresses section of this Notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addresses section below on or before April 26, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Andrew R. Davis, Chief of the Division of Interpretations 
and Standards, Office of Labor-Management Standards, U.S. Department of 
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-5609, Washington, DC 20210, 
[email protected], (202) 693-0123 (this is not a toll-free number), 
(800) 877-8339 (TTY/TDD).
    Please use only one method of transmission for comments (mail or 
Email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13496 (E.O. 13496 on 
January 30, 2009, requiring certain Government contractors and 
subcontractors to post notices informing their employees of their 
rights as employees under Federal labor laws. The Order also provides 
the text of contractual provisions that Federal Government contracting 
departments and agencies must include in every Government contract, 
except for collective bargaining agreements and contracts for purchases 
under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold.
    OLMS administers the enforcement provisions of Executive Order 
13496, while the compliance evaluation and investigatory provisions are 
handled by the Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance 
Programs (OFCCP), pursuant to the Order's implementing regulatory 
provisions (29 CFR Part 471). Complaints can be filed with both 
agencies.

II. Review Focus

    The Department is particularly interested in comments which:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.

III. Current Actions

    The Department seeks extension of the current approval to collect 
this information. An extension is necessary because if this information 
collection is not conducted, E.O. 13496 could not be enforced through 
the complaint procedure.
    E.O. 13496 advances the Administration's goal of promoting economy 
and efficiency of Federal government procurement by ensuring that 
workers employed in the private sector as a result of Federal 
government contracts are informed of their rights to engage in union 
activity and collective bargaining. Knowledge of such basic statutory 
rights promotes stable labor-management relations, thus reducing costs 
to the Federal government.
    The contractual provisions require contractors and subcontractors 
to post a notice, created by the Secretary of Labor, informing 
employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The 
notice also provides a statement of the policy of the United States to 
encourage collective bargaining, as well as a list of activities that 
are illegal under the Act. The notice concludes with a general 
description of the remedies to which employees may be entitled if these 
rights have been violated and contact information for further 
information about those rights and remedies, as well as enforcement 
procedures.
    The clause also requires contractors to include the same clause in 
their nonexempt subcontracts and purchase orders, and describes 
generally the sanctions, penalties, and remedies that may be imposed if 
the contractor fails to satisfy its obligations under the Order and the 
clause.
    The regulatory provisions implementing E.O. 13496 (29 CFR part 471) 
include the language of the required notices, and they explain posting 
and contractual requirements, the complaint process, the investigatory 
process, and sanctions, penalties, and remedies that may be imposed if 
the contractor or subcontractor fails to comply with its obligations 
under the Order. Specifically, 29 CFR part 471.11(c) sets forth the 
procedures that the Department must use when accepting written 
complaints alleging that a contractor doing business with the Federal 
government has failed to post the notice required by the Executive 
Order.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: Office of Labor-Management Standards.
    OMB Number: 1245-0004.
    Affected Public: Employees of Federal Contractors and 
Subcontractors.
    Total Respondents: 25.
    Total Annual Responses: 25.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 32.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.28 hours.

[[Page 12799]]

    Frequency: On occasion of employee of a Federal contractor or 
subcontractor filing a complaint alleging a violation of proposed 29 
CFR part 471.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $12.50 ($0.50 per response x 
25 respondents).
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
    Employee Complaints Cost: $761 ($30.44 per response x 25 
respondents).
    Total Annual Burden Cost: $773.50 ($12.50 + $761).
    Total respondent and responses estimates are based upon the 
estimate in the E.O. 13496 final rule of 50. See 75 FR 28368. However, 
since the Department has no record of employee complaints received, the 
Department has lowered its complaint estimate to 25.
    The Department has not adjusted its total employee complaint hour 
estimate of 1.28 hours, which it estimated in the E.O. 13496 final 
rule. Id.
    The Department has updated the employee cost burden per complaint 
from the past estimates in the supporting statement sent to OMB and the 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. See 74 FR 38496. The Department 
estimates that it will take an average of 1.28 hours to complete a 
complaint. Based on the average seasonally-adjusted hourly earnings on 
private non-farm payrolls for all workers of $23.78, we estimate that 
an employee will incur a cost of $30.44 for the 1.28 hours involved 
($23.78 x 1.28) in preparing a complaint. Additionally, employees will 
incur costs of $0.50 per complaint in capital/start-up costs ($0.46 for 
postage + $0.03 for an envelope + $0.01 for paper) for a total cost per 
complaint of $30.94. The total cost for the estimated 25 complaints is 
$773.50. There are no ongoing operation/maintenance costs associated 
with this information collection.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: February 13, 2013.
Andrew R. Davis,
Chief of the Division of Interpretations and Standards, Office of 
Labor-Management Standards, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2013-04267 Filed 2-22-13; 8:45 am]
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