(a) Purpose. The purpose of a petition for review is to initiate a negotiability proceeding and provide the agency with notice that the exclusive representative requests a decision from the Authority that a proposal or provision is within the duty to bargain or not contrary to law, respectively.
(b) Divisions. The petition will be resolved according to how the exclusive representative divides matters into proposals or provisions. If the exclusive representative seeks a negotiability determination on particular matters standing alone, then the exclusive representative must submit those matters as distinct proposals or provisions. However, the exclusive representative will have an opportunity to divide proposals or provisions into separate parts when the exclusive representative files a response under § 2424.25.
(c) Content. You must file a petition for review on a form that the Authority has provided for that purpose, or in a substantially similar format. You meet this requirement if you file your petition electronically through use of the eFiling system on the FLRA's website at www.flra.gov. That website also provides copies of petition forms. You must date the petition, unless you file it electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system. And, regardless of how you file the petition, you must ensure that it includes the following:
(1) The exact wording and explanation of the meaning of the proposal or provision, including an explanation of special terms or phrases, technical language, or other words that are not in common usage, as well as how the proposal or provision is intended to work;
(2) Specific citation to any law, rule, regulation, section of a collective bargaining agreement, or other authority that you rely on in your argument or that you reference in the proposal or provision, and a copy of any such material that the Authority cannot easily access (which you may upload as attachments if you file the petition electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system);
(i) An explanation of how the cited law, rule, regulation, section of a collective bargaining agreement, or other authority relates to your argument, proposal, or provision;
(ii) [Reserved]
(3) A statement as to whether the proposal or provision is also involved in an unfair labor practice charge under part 2423 of this subchapter, a grievance pursuant to the parties' negotiated grievance procedure, or an impasse procedure under part 2470 of this subchapter, and whether any other petition for review has been filed concerning a proposal or provision arising from the same bargaining or the same agency head review;
(i) Documents relevant to the statement, including a copy of any related unfair labor practice charge, grievance, request for impasse assistance, or other petition for review; and
(ii) [Reserved]
(4) Any request for a hearing before the Authority and the reasons supporting such request, with the understanding that the Authority rarely grants such requests.
(d) Service. The petition for review, including all attachments, must be served in accord with § 2424.2(g).
[88 FR 62456, Sept. 12, 2023; 88 FR 69873, Oct. 10, 2023, as amended at 88 FR 77883, Nov. 14, 2023]