Federal Agency Decisions
Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB), each with a plain-English summary, the law it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.
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U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, Chicago and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 648
Labor Department Chicago office and AFGE Local 648 (FLRA 5-CA-70379): Union excluded from formal discussion
As part of settling a Labor Department employee's appeal of a suspension, the agency held a meeting about his job duties with him and his private attorney. It did not notify AFGE Local 648 and denied the union's request to attend. The Authority held that the planned hour-long meeting was formal and…
Department of the Navy, Charleston Naval Shipyard and Federal Employees Metal Trades Council of Charleston
Charleston Naval Shipyard and metal trades council (FLRA 4-CA-70320): Employee-address disclosure ordered
Charleston Naval Shipyard refused the metal trades council's request for bargaining unit employees' names and home addresses. An administrative law judge found an unfair labor practice and recommended disclosure. The Authority adopted the judge's findings after reviewing the Navy's exceptions. It…
Veterans Administration and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Asheville, North Carolina and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 446
Asheville VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 446 (FLRA 4-CA-70284): Employee-address disclosure ordered
The Asheville VA Medical Center refused AFGE Local 446's request for the names and home addresses of bargaining unit employees. An administrative law judge found that refusal unlawful and recommended relief. The Authority adopted the judge's findings and rejected the Veterans Administration's…
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service and AFGE Southwest Council of Food Inspection Locals
USDA food inspection service and AFGE council (FLRA 6-CA-70729): Central offices ordered to direct address disclosure
USDA and its Food Safety and Inspection Service directed a Dallas regional meat and poultry inspection office to refuse the AFGE council's request for unit employees' names and home addresses. An administrative law judge found the central offices responsible for that refusal but found the regional…
Consolidation Coal Company
Settlement reduction disapproved and information ordered
Consolidation Coal Company was cited because six miners at the Robinson Run Mine were not wearing distinctively colored hard hats. The Secretary proposed reducing the $311 penalty to $250, citing lower gravity and the miners' temporary maintenance assignment. Judge Paul Merlin found that the…
Zeigler Coal Company
Withdrawal order modified to citation with $400 penalty
Zeigler Coal Company was cited after a machine operator worked 3.5 feet beyond the last row of permanent roof support at the Zeigler No. 5 Mine. Judge Roy J. Maurer found a violation of the roof-control standard and determined that it was significant and substantial. He found no evidence of…
Immigration and Naturalization Service, Western Regional Office and National Border Patrol Council, AFGE Local 1613
INS Western Region and Border Patrol Council (FLRA 8-CA-70395): Employee-address disclosure ordered
The INS Western Regional Office refused to provide the Border Patrol Council with bargaining unit employees' names and home addresses. The agency argued that disclosing addresses might put employees in danger, but presented no evidence that release to the union would do so. The Authority adopted…
Davidson Mining, Inc.
Ventilation order affirmed with $1,000 penalty
Davidson Mining, Inc. was cited after a roof fall left inadequate ventilation at the Davidson No. 1 Mine. The mine had only 2,420 cubic feet of air per minute at a location requiring 9,000, and lower readings at two working locations that required 3,000. Judge Gary Melick found that the operator…
Davidson Mining Inc.
Ventilation order affirmed with $1,000 penalty
Davidson Mining Inc. was cited after a roof fall left inadequate ventilation at the Davidson No. 1 Mine. The mine had only 2,420 cubic feet of air per minute at a location requiring 9,000, and lower readings at two working locations that required 3,000. Judge Gary Melick found that the operator…
Patrick J. Burns v. Gary Klinefelter (U. S. Steel Company)
Patrick J. Burns v. Gary Klinefelter (FMSHRC PENN 88-4-D): Discrimination complaint dismissed
Patrick J. Burns filed a Mine Act discrimination complaint against Gary Klinefelter, identified in the release as associated with U.S. Steel Company. The complaint was filed under section 105(c) on October 5, 1987. After the Commission requested information and later issued a show-cause order…
Patrick J. Burns v. Gary Klinefelter (U.S. Steel Company)
Patrick J. Burns v. Gary Klinefelter (FMSHRC PENN 88-4-D): Discrimination complaint dismissed
Patrick J. Burns filed a Mine Act discrimination complaint against Gary Klinefelter, identified in the release as associated with U.S. Steel Company. The complaint was filed under section 105(c) on October 5, 1987. After the Commission requested information and later issued a show-cause order…
Consolidation Coal Company
Electrical citations partly dismissed and partly affirmed
Consolidation Coal Company was cited for electrical conditions at its Arkwright No. 1 Mine, including cable fittings, a blower temperature device, a ground-check circuit, circuit-breaker settings, and cable size. Judge Avram Weisberger found that two alleged violations were not proven and dismissed…
Beaver Creek Coal Company
Contest dismissed after cited order was vacated
Beaver Creek Coal Company contested an MSHA order concerning its roof control plan and sought declaratory relief, attorney fees, and costs. MSHA vacated the order after the contest was filed, and the judge found that the requested declaratory relief was moot because the requested plan modification…
Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Local 1340, National Federation of Federal Employees
FAA Atlantic City and NFFE Local 1340 (FLRA O-AR-1472): Accelerated-promotion grievance denied
Six FAA computer programmers expected promotion from GS-7 to GS-9 after six months of training. They were appointed to GS-7 after the agency's accelerated-promotion agreement with the Office of Personnel Management had expired. An arbitrator denied their grievance, finding that the agency had to…
Wilmot Mining Company
Civil penalty assessment remanded
Wilmot Mining Company's case returned to the Commission after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed part of the Commission's earlier decision, reversed part, and remanded the matter. The court held that substantial evidence did not support the Commission's negligence…
Matter of Danesh
Aggravated assault on an officer involved moral turpitude
The Board dismissed an appeal by an Iranian citizen who was found deportable after a Texas conviction for aggravated assault on a peace officer. The respondent argued that he was innocent and that the conviction was not a crime involving moral turpitude. The Board held that it could not reconsider…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lyons, New Jersey and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1012
Lyons VA Medical Center and AFGE Local 1012 (FLRA 2-CA-50029): Rotation case remanded for supervisory-duty findings
The Lyons VA Medical Center began rotating nursing instructors into an Acting Associate Chief position without notifying or bargaining with AFGE Local 1012. The Authority had dismissed a complaint on the view that the position was supervisory, but a reviewing court found the record did not…
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Metal Trades Council
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Metal Trades Council (FLRA 0-AR-1475): Attorney-fee request returned to arbitrator
A union won backpay for two shipyard employees who had been left off sea trials, and the Authority later modified their award to include overtime. The union then asked the arbitrator for attorney fees, but he said he lacked jurisdiction because the request came after the arbitration record closed…
Overseas Federation of Teachers and Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Mediterranean Region
Overseas Federation of Teachers and DODDS Mediterranean (FLRA 0-AR-1463): Reopened arbitration award set aside
An arbitrator denied a union grievance about employee-requested transfers at Defense Department schools. The union's exceptions to that award were dismissed as late. At the union's request, the arbitrator then reopened the case and reversed his original ruling. The Authority set aside the second…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2024 and Department of the Navy, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
AFGE Local 2024 and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (FLRA 0-NG-1491): Three-week schedule proposal nonnegotiable
AFGE Local 2024 proposed that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard set employees' tours of duty for at least three consecutive weeks. The union said the proposal would give employees stable schedules and still let the shipyard comply with applicable law. The Authority found the proposal nonnegotiable because…
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 11 and Mare Island Naval Shipyard
IFPTE Local 11 and Mare Island Naval Shipyard (FLRA 0-NG-1471): Motorcycle safety proposals split
IFPTE Local 11 proposed five measures concerning a Navy motorcycle safety rule at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The Authority found that employee notice, fair enforcement, a grace period, and use of the Tennessee Street Causeway were within the duty to bargain. It rejected the part of the…
National Association of Government Employees, Local R14-89 and U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss
NAGE Local R14-89 and Fort Bliss (FLRA 0-NG-1468): Six-day pay lag proposal nonnegotiable
Fort Bliss planned to increase the time between a pay period's end and payday from six to twelve days. NAGE Local R14-89 proposed retaining the six-day gap. The Authority found that payday timing affects bargaining unit employees' working conditions, but the proposal was still nonnegotiable. The…
National Treasury Employees Union and Internal Revenue Service, Service Center, Atlanta Branch
IRS Atlanta Service Center (FLRA 0-AR-1522): Late arbitration exceptions dismissed
The IRS challenged an arbitrator's award in a dispute with the National Treasury Employees Union. The arbitrator mailed the award on February 10, 1988, and the Authority calculated March 15 as the filing deadline, including extra time for mail service. The agency hand-delivered its exceptions on…
Local Union 5817, UMWA v. Monument Mining Corporation
Compensation case remanded
Local Union No. 5817, District 17, UMWA brought a compensation matter involving Monument Mining Corporation and Island Creek Coal Company. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed the Commission's earlier decision and remanded the matter for further proceedings. The…
Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Atlanta and National INS Council, AFGE Local 3123
INS Atlanta and AFGE Local 3123 (FLRA 4-CA-70772): Employee-address disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 3123 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented in the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Atlanta region. The agency refused, citing employee privacy and safety concerns and suggesting other ways for the union to contact employees. Applying its earlier Farmers…
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Patent Office Professional Association
Patent and Trademark Office and POPA (FLRA 0-AR-1459): Attorney-fee denial upheld
Patent examiners won a grievance over changes to the Patent and Trademark Office's signatory authority program. After the agency and union agreed on remedies for affected employees, the union sought attorney fees. The arbitrator denied fees, finding they were not warranted in the interest of…
Overseas Federation of Teachers and Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Mediterranean Region
Overseas Federation of Teachers and DODDS Mediterranean (FLRA 0-AR-1429): Reconsideration of late filing denied
The Overseas Federation of Teachers filed exceptions to an arbitration award after the filing deadline, and the Authority dismissed them. The union sought reconsideration, arguing that mail from overseas delayed its receipt of the award and that equitable considerations should extend the deadline…
Samuel Griffin v. Energy Producers Associates Inc.
Discrimination complaint dismissed
Samuel Griffin filed a Mine Act discrimination complaint against Energy Producers Associates Inc. on February 16, 1988. Judge Paul Merlin later issued a show-cause order directing Griffin to provide information about the complaint or explain why he had not done so. The order was received, but…
Youghiogheny & Ohio Coal Company
Canopy violation affirmed as unwarrantable failure
Youghiogheny & Ohio Coal Company was cited after a section foreman directed a miner to operate a scoop tractor without a canopy in an underground mine area where the canopy was required. Judge Gary Melick found that the foreman knew the equipment was being operated in violation of the standard and…
Matter of Jalil
Actual residence abroad interrupted continuous residence
The Commissioner reviewed a section 249 application by a citizen of Bangladesh who claimed continuous residence in the United States after entering as a G-4 nonimmigrant. The district director found that her three-year period living and working in Zambia interrupted the continuous residence…
Garrick Gravel Incorporated
Three citations affirmed with $357 penalty
Garrick Gravel Incorporated admitted three safety violations but contested the proposed penalties. After a hearing at which the Secretary presented evidence and the company did not appear, Judge August F. Cetti found the violations proven and found the proposed penalty of $119 for each citation…
Cobblestone, Ltd.
Gravel-pit citations affirmed
Cobblestone operated a small family gravel pit and argued that MSHA lacked jurisdiction because it was producing gravel for personal use during the inspection period. Judge August F. Cetti found that the gravel operation was a mine whose operations and products affected interstate commerce. He…
Bethenergy Mines, Inc.
Ventilation-plan order modified
Bethenergy Mines operated Cambria Slope Mine No. 33, where MSHA found a canvas curtain serving as an intake regulator even though the approved ventilation plan did not authorize that location or material. Judge Avram Weisberger held that the curtain violated the approved plan and 30 C.F.R. §…
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 2080 and U.S. Army Engineer District, Nashville, Tennessee
IBEW Local 2080 and Army Engineer District Nashville (FLRA 0-NG-1473): Only two scheduling terms are negotiable
IBEW Local 2080 appealed the Army's disapproval of six provisions in a negotiated agreement for employees of the Nashville Engineer District. The Authority found that a master schedule for rotating shifts and advance posting of work schedules were negotiable. It rejected the 24-hour notice…
U.S. Army Missile Command and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1858
Army Missile Command and AFGE Local 1858 (FLRA 0-AR-1526): Reduced suspension upheld
An Army Missile Command employee received a five-day suspension after causing a workplace disturbance. An arbitrator found that discipline was warranted but reduced the suspension to three days because management had not completed the investigation required by the labor agreement. The union…
Internal Revenue Service, Indianapolis District and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 49
IRS Indianapolis District and NTEU Chapter 49 (FLRA 0-AR-1469): Appraisal remedy returned to arbitrator
An IRS employee challenged her 1986 performance appraisal, alleging retaliation for union activity and a breach of the labor agreement. The arbitrator rejected the retaliation claim but found that the IRS had misapplied the appraisal standards, and he ordered a new appraisal with a minimum rating…
Sandy Fork Mining Company
Discrimination proceeding settled and dismissed
The Secretary brought a Mine Act discrimination proceeding on behalf of Orville Sparks against Sandy Fork Mining Company. The parties submitted a settlement, which Judge Avram Weisberger approved after considering their stipulation and motions. The judge ordered compliance with any remaining…
Department of the Navy and Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia and Federal Firefighters Association, Local 13
Norfolk Naval Station and Federal Firefighters Local 13 (FLRA 34-CA-80288): Employee contact information ordered disclosed
Federal Firefighters Association Local 13 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented at Norfolk Naval Station. The Navy refused, arguing that privacy laws barred release and that the union had other ways to contact employees. On stipulated facts, the Authority found that the…
Independent Letterman Hospital Workers Union and Department of the Army, Letterman Army Medical Center, Nutrition Care Division
Letterman Army Medical Center and hospital workers union (FLRA 0-AR-1510): Grievance remains outside arbitration
The Independent Letterman Hospital Workers Union raised issues about fractional hours and work schedules at an Army medical center. An arbitrator found the grievance was outside arbitration after the union's representative stipulated that the disputed matters were reviewable under the Fair Labor…
Library of Congress and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 2910
Library of Congress and AFSCME Local 2910 (FLRA 0-AR-1476): Three-day suspension upheld
A Library of Congress reading room employee reported at 9:05 a.m. after her supervisor directed her to report at 8:30 a.m. An arbitrator found that she deliberately disobeyed the instruction and upheld her three-day suspension, rejecting the union's retaliation claim. The union challenged the…
Small Business Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2532
SBA and AFGE Local 2532 (FLRA 0-AR-1470): Reclassification grievance and remedy upheld
The Small Business Administration moved an employee from a GS-14 planning position to a GS-6 clerk position after a classification review. The employee first appealed to the Merit Systems Protection Board, which found it lacked jurisdiction, then filed a grievance. An arbitrator found the grievance…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 32 and Office of Personnel Management
AFGE Local 32 and OPM (FLRA 0-AR-1467): Performance appraisal grievance denial upheld
An Office of Personnel Management employee challenged the rating she received after a detail involving analysis of a federal cost comparison policy. OPM had rescinded an unacceptable rating and raised her overall rating to minimally successful, but the union continued to challenge one performance…
Rushton Mining Company
Escapeway citation modified to non-S&S
Rushton Mining designated an escapeway from part of its underground mine that took a longer, indirect route to the nearest shaft. Judge Avram Weisberger held that the designated route did not follow the safest direct practical route required by 30 C.F.R. § 75.1704-2(a), while finding that the…
Rivco Dredging Corporation
Remand amended to remove moot docket
Rivco Dredging Corporation sought discretionary review in five related contest dockets. After the Commission remanded the cases, the Administrative Law Judge reported that KENT 88-27-R was moot because the Secretary had already vacated its citation. The Commission amended its remand order to delete…
National Park Service, National Capital Region, United States Park Police and Police Association of the District of Columbia
Park Police and Police Association of DC (FLRA 3-CA-60168): Information cases returned for factfinding
The Police Association requested documents for four employee grievances, including managers' recommendations and opinions about discipline and leave decisions. The Park Police withheld those materials, and the Authority initially held that management rights barred disclosure. After a court rejected…
National Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board Union, Local 6
NLRB and NLRB Union Local 6 (FLRA 2-CA-50471): Memorandum disclosure returned for factfinding
An NLRB employee requested a part-time schedule, and her union asked for a management memorandum about the request while pursuing a grievance. The NLRB provided workload data but withheld the memorandum. The Authority had initially found disclosure barred by management rights, but a court rejected…
U.S. Air Force Logistics Command, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 916
Tinker Air Force Base and AFGE Local 916 (FLRA O-AR-1460): Reprimand award returned for clarification
A Tinker Air Force Base union official was reprimanded after trying to serve unfair labor practice charges on supervisors at work and declining an instruction from security police to leave the area. An arbitrator denied his grievance in a one-sentence award without explaining the decision. The…
Meramec Aggregates, Inc.
Civil penalty case dismissed
Meramec Aggregates requested a hearing on a proposed civil penalty, but the Solicitor did not file the required penalty petition within the applicable deadline. After a show-cause order and a further promise to file the petition or respond, the Solicitor still did not act. Chief Administrative Law…
Department of the Air Force, Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1592
Ogden Air Logistics Center and AFGE Local 1592 (FLRA 7-CA-60308): Saturday schedule change reversed
The Air Force changed Saturday starting and quitting times for wage grade employees at Ogden Air Logistics Center without bargaining with AFGE Local 1592. An administrative law judge found that the change violated the federal labor statute. The Authority agreed that the Air Force had not shown the…
Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service and Internal Revenue Service Chicago District and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 10
IRS Chicago District and NTEU Chapter 10 (FLRA 5-CA-60265): Penalty-document request remanded
NTEU Chapter 10 requested IRS documents about a proposed employee removal so it could evaluate the grounds and penalty. The IRS withheld documents containing management's analysis and recommendations. An administrative law judge dismissed the union's information complaint on the view that…
International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, Panama Canal Pilots Branch and Panama Canal Commission
Panama Canal pilots and Panama Canal Commission (FLRA 0-NG-1488): One rehabilitation term negotiable
The Panama Canal pilots' union appealed the Commission's objections to proposed drug testing and rehabilitation rules. The Authority considered three of the twelve proposals in the petition; the others were withdrawn or modified without a new agency allegation of nonnegotiability. It rejected terms…
U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration and National Council of Field Labor Locals, American Federation of Government Employees
MSHA and AFGE field labor locals (FLRA 0-AR-1502): Missing mailed exceptions allowed to proceed
The Authority did not receive the union's original mailing of its exceptions to an arbitration award. It asked the union to explain why the exceptions should not be dismissed as late. The order found circumstantial evidence of timely mailing: the exceptions were dated before the deadline, the…
Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 859
Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot and Machinists Local 859 (FLRA 0-AR-1497): Higher-rate overtime award upheld
A WG-8 motor vehicle operator at the Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot operated a modified scoop loader during some assignments. An arbitrator found that this was WG-10 equipment work and ordered overtime compensation at the WG-10 rate for that work. The Army argued that the grievance was barred…
Air Force Logistics Command, AFLC Headquarters, AFLC/DPCE and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 214
Air Force Logistics Command and AFGE Council 214 (FLRA 0-AR-1457): Civilian reassignment grievance denied
The Air Force reassigned civilian security employees at Kelly Air Force Base so their positions could be filled by military personnel. A union agreement had said civilian positions would be converted only when vacated by attrition. An arbitrator found that the reassignments breached that wording…
Health Care Financing Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923
Health Care Financing Administration and AFGE Local 1923 (FLRA 0-AR-1346): Contracting award remains set aside
An arbitrator found that the Health Care Financing Administration contracted out work without a cost comparison required by OMB Circular A-76. The Authority had set aside the award because the arbitrator had not found that the omission materially affected the procurement decision and harmed…
Department of the Navy, Charleston Naval Shipyard and Federal Employees Metal Trades Council of Charleston
Charleston Naval Shipyard and Metal Trades Council (FLRA 4-CA-70427): Union representation and information rights upheld
A Charleston Naval Shipyard employee was questioned about conduct during a detail to a position represented by another union. By the time of the investigative meeting, he had returned to a position represented by the Metal Trades Council, but the shipyard excluded that union's steward and offered a…
Department of the Air Force, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 987
Robins Air Force Base and AFGE Local 987 (FLRA O-AR-1468): Fourteen-day suspension upheld
Robins Air Force Base suspended an employee for 14 days on charges that included altering a doctor's certificate, unauthorized absence, and improper time card posting. An arbitrator found the charges supported and denied the employee's grievance. The union challenged the use of the doctor's…
Cen-Tex Ready Mix Concrete Company, Incorporated
Contests withdrawn and dismissed
Cen-Tex Ready Mix Concrete asked to withdraw nine contests as part of a settlement reached in related civil penalty proceedings. Judge Gary Melick granted permission to withdraw under 29 C.F.R. § 2700.11. The nine contest proceedings were dismissed.
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 15 and Department of the Army, Headquarters, U.S. Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command
NFFE Local 15 and Army Armament Command (FLRA 0-NG-1540): Negotiability petition filed late
NFFE Local 15 petitioned the Authority to review the Army's allegation that a proposal was outside the duty to bargain. The union disputed when it received the Army's allegation. The Authority found that the petition was late even using the union's later receipt date: it should have been mailed by…
National Association of Government Employees, SEIU and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Newington, Connecticut
Newington VA Medical Center and NAGE (FLRA 0-NG-1495): Paid 30-minute break proposal dismissed
Dietetic employees at the Newington VA Medical Center had combined two 15-minute rest periods into one 30-minute break, according to their union. The union proposed maintaining that practice. The Authority read the proposal as a single break within the paid workday and applied a government-wide…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission, Board and Authority decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Authority at FLRA, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Review Board at Labor, and the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- Why finality matters: Every page here says which kind of decision you are reading, so you know whether it is precedent you can cite or a final order that only shows how one judge ruled on one set of facts.
- Where they come from: Every page links the official public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.