[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 177 (Thursday, September 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51669-51670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19991]


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FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE

[Docket No.: FMCS-2021-3]


Notice to Mediation Agency

AGENCY: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).

ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), invites 
the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity 
to comment on the following information collection request, Notice to 
Mediation Agency, (Agency Form F-7). This information collection 
request was previously approved by the Office of Management Budget 
(OMB) but has expired. FMCS is requesting a reinstatement without 
change. The Notice to Mediation Agency, (Agency Form F-7), allows 
parties to comply with their statutory obligation under the Labor 
Management Relations Act of 1947. The Agency Form F-7 also allows FMCS 
to receive these notices from parties to a collective bargaining 
agreement to comply with its statutory mandate to facilitate mediation.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 18, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by Docket No.: FMCS-
2021-3] through one of the following methods:
     Email: Arthur Pearlstein, [email protected];
     Mail: Arthur Pearlstein, HQ Office of Arbitration, One 
Independence Square, 250 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20427. Please note 
that at this time, the FMCS office is not open for visitors and mail is 
not checked daily. Therefore, we encourage emailed comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arthur Pearlstein, 202-606-8103, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the agency form are available 
here. Paper copies are available from the Office of Arbitration 
Services by emailing Arthur Pearlstein at the email address above. 
Please ask for Agency Form F-7.

I. Information Collection Request

    Agency: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
    Form Number: OMB No. 3076-0004.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement without change of a previously 
approved collection.
    Affected Entities: Employers and their representatives; and labor 
unions, their representatives and employees, regarding contract 
negotiations.
    Frequency: This form is completed once for resolution facilitation.
    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 a 
collective bargaining 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)). The Act requires that 
parties notify FMCS 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 extended coverage to 
nonprofit health care institutions, including similar notices to FMCS. 
29 U.S.C. 158(d) and (g). To facilitate handling around 27,190 notices 
a year, FMCS created information collection form F-7. 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 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 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. Form F-7 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, email address, official contact, 
bargaining unit and establishment size, location of affected 
establishment and negotiations, industry, union address, phone number, 
email 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: The current total annual burden estimate is that FMCS will 
receive requests from approximately 27,190 respondents per year. The 
form takes about 10 minutes to complete.

II. Request for Comments

    FMCS solicits comments to:
    i. Evaluate whether the proposed collections of information are 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information 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.

[[Page 51670]]

    iv. Minimize the burden of the collections of information on those 
who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic collection technologies or other forms of information 
technology.

III. 60-Day Comment Period

    This information was previously published in the Federal Register 
on July 13, 2021, allowing for a 60-day public comment period under 
Document 2021-14823 at 86 FR 36745. FMCS received no comments.

IV. The Official Record

    The official records are electronic records.

List of Subjects

    Information collection requests.

    Dated: September 13, 2021.
Sarah Cudahy,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021-19991 Filed 9-15-21; 8:45 am]
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