President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint ten members to the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP), an independent entity within the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).
The FLRA handles labor relations for millions of non-postal Federal employees, and its FSIP serves to settle disagreements between agencies and unions representing Federal employees. The FSIP consists of ten presidential appointees, including the chair, who serve on a part-time basis.
“If bargaining between the parties, followed by mediation assistance, does not result in a voluntary agreement, then either party or the parties jointly may request the Panel’s assistance,” the White House release says of the FSIP.
The ten new members of the FSIP include:
- Martin H. Malin (Chair)
- Wynter P. Allen
- Jeanne Charles
- Howard Friedman
- Edward F. Hartfield
- Marvin E. Johnson
- Mark G. Pearce
- Pamela Schwartz
- Joseph E. Slater
- Tamiko N.W. Watkins
Chairman Malin served as an FSIP member under the Obama administration and has taught at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, for 41 years, and founded the Institute for Law and the Workplace.
The other members have extensive experience in labor law and many have worked for employee unions. Biden’s member selections were applauded by Federal worker unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
“AFGE strongly supports President Biden’s selections to the Federal Service Impasses Panel,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement. “We are confident that these members will fairly resolve labor disputes between unions and agencies and restore dignity and fairness to the panel and its important work on behalf of Federal employees.”
