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.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
Greenwich Collieries
Withdrawal orders reinstated and remanded
A methane ignition and explosion occurred at Greenwich Collieries' No. 1 Mine, killing three miners and injuring eleven others. During its investigation, MSHA issued five section 104(d)(1) withdrawal orders for alleged violations that had occurred before the inspectors' later visits. The ALJ held…
American Federation of Government Employees, National Council of VA Locals and Veterans Administration
VA medical employee proposals (FLRA O-NG-1088): Bargaining ordered on selected terms
The National Council of VA Locals sought bargaining over 11 proposals covering travel expenses, professional standards, promotions, step increases, leave, uniforms, performance ratings, staffing, and access to information. The Authority rejected the VA's general claim that Title 38 removed medical…
Nacco Mining Company
Section 104(d) citation reinstated and remanded
Nacco Mining Company's miners' representative reported a long cut made under unsupported roof at the Powhatan No. 6 Mine. MSHA investigated after the event, issued a section 104(a) citation, and later modified it to a section 104(d)(1) citation alleging unwarrantable failure. The ALJ held that the…
Maggard v. Chaney Creek Coal Corporation
Reconsideration motions denied
The operators in related discrimination proceedings asked the Commission to reconsider its denial of a motion to dismiss Dollar Branch Coal Corporation as a party and to amend their petition for discretionary review. The operators argued that Dollar Branch had no direct employment relationship with…
Department of the Air Force, 554th Combat Support Group, Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base employee addresses (FLRA 9-CA-70113): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 1199 asked the 554th Combat Support Group at Nellis Air Force Base for the names and home addresses of bargaining unit employees. The Air Force refused, arguing that disclosure was barred by law and that the union had other ways to contact employees. The Authority applied its Farmers…
Department of the Air Force, Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan Air Force Base, California
McClellan Air Force Base witness interview (FLRA 9-CA-60302): Union representation required
Labor relations officials at McClellan Air Force Base interviewed a bargaining unit employee whom the union planned to call as a witness in an upcoming arbitration. The meeting concerned the grievance and was arranged in advance, held in labor counsel's office, and attended by three management…
United States Customs Service, Washington, D.C.
San Ysidro Customs employee changes (FLRA 8-CA-60340, 8-CA-60341, 8-CA-60342): Two bargaining violations found
The Customs Service changed working conditions at the San Ysidro border station during a contraband enforcement operation. It detailed inspectors to a special team without bargaining over the change's impact and implementation, and it imposed a lasting ban on employee parking in the West Secondary…
Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado
Lowry Air Force Base employee addresses (FLRA 7-CA-70227): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 1974 requested names and home addresses for the civilian employees it represented at Lowry Air Force Base. The Air Force refused, arguing that the Privacy Act barred disclosure and that compiling the list from separate personnel and payroll systems was burdensome. The judge found that…
Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado
Lowry Air Force Base union telephone service (FLRA 7-CA-60431): Bargaining dispute remanded
Lowry Air Force Base reduced the union's office telephone service from a class that allowed off-base and long-distance calls to on-base service only. The union said the base had long provided the broader service and should have bargained before changing it. The administrative law judge dismissed…
United States Army Air Defense Center and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, Texas
Fort Bliss union campaign facilities (FLRA 6-CA-60020): Complaint dismissed
Two unions were competing to represent employees at Fort Bliss. The incumbent union used a building it had obtained through an earlier collective bargaining agreement, while the Army declined to provide the challenger with a similar building for its campaign. The administrative law judge found…
Department of the Air Force, Ohio Air National Guard, Detachment 1, Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base
Ohio Air National Guard employee addresses (FLRA 5-CA-70283): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 1435 represented two employee units at the Ohio Air National Guard's Rickenbacker base. It asked for the names and home addresses of all unit employees, including employees paid from nonappropriated funds. The Guard refused, arguing that the Privacy Act barred disclosure, other means of…
Department of Defense, Department of the Navy and Naval Air Rework Facility, Jacksonville, Florida
Naval Air Rework Facility, Jacksonville (FLRA 4-CA-70233): Employee contact list ordered released
The National Federation of Federal Employees requested the names and home addresses of employees it represented at the Navy's Jacksonville air rework facility. The facility refused, arguing that privacy law barred disclosure and that the union had other ways to contact employees. An administrative…
Department of the Treasury, U.S. Customs Service, Miami, Florida
Miami Customs Service staff meeting (FLRA 4-CA-552): Union notice required
The Miami Customs Service held a staff meeting with bargaining unit employees about work matters without notifying their union. A union steward attended as an employee, and the Authority initially treated that attendance as enough to satisfy the union's right to representation. After a court…
Department of Transportation and United States Coast Guard, Fifth District, Portsmouth, Virginia
Coast Guard employee addresses (FLRA 34-CA-70405): Transportation Department held responsible
AFGE Local 22 asked the Coast Guard's Fifth District for bargaining unit employees' names and home addresses. The Coast Guard refused after the Department of Transportation directed it to withhold the information pending court review of an earlier Authority ruling. The Authority held that…
Department of the Navy, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia
Norfolk Naval Shipyard employee addresses (FLRA 34-CA-70333): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 22 asked Norfolk Naval Shipyard for the names and home addresses of bargaining unit employees. The Navy refused, arguing that the Privacy Act barred disclosure, that the union had not shown a need for the information, and that it had other ways to reach employees. Applying its Farmers…
Internal Revenue Service, District Office Unit, Department of the Treasury
IRS midterm bargaining after court remand (FLRA 3-CA-774): Bargaining ordered
After the IRS took over recruitment and examination for certain Internal Revenue Agent jobs, the National Treasury Employees Union submitted proposals about the change. The IRS refused to bargain, saying it had kept the prior staffing methods and the parties already had an agreement. The Authority…
General Services Administration and Edward Hanlon, Ruth Sanders, and James Mercury
Suitland Federal Center union literature (FLRA 3-CA-60243): GSA restrictions unlawful
Census employees sought to distribute union literature in the Sunny Spot lobby at the Suitland Federal Center during their own time. GSA limited the hours, prohibited three leaflets describing union benefits, and had a protective service officer question an employee about distribution. The…
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and National Treasury Employees Union
NRC employee settlement meeting (FLRA 3-CA-60129): Union notice complaint dismissed
NRC officials met with an employee and her attorney to discuss settlement of an EEO complaint. The employee had joined a bargaining unit by the time of the meeting, but her complaint arose and was filed while she was outside it. NTEU argued that the NRC had to notify it and allow a representative…
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook, New York
Ray Brook prison employee oral reply (FLRA 1-CA-60280): Complaint dismissed
A Ray Brook prison employee met with management and his attorney to respond orally to a proposed suspension. The prison had not invited the union to attend. The Authority held that the meeting did not concern a grievance because the prison had not yet taken final action and the employee had not…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 32 and Office of Personnel Management
OPM cafeteria and reemployment proposals (FLRA 0-NG-917): Partial bargaining order
AFGE Local 32 sought to bargain with the Office of Personnel Management about employee cafeteria prices and priority for workers affected by a reduction in force. The Authority found a cafeteria proposal negotiable because it called only for actions within OPM's lawful discretion, with subsidies as…
California Teamsters Public, Professional and Medical Employees Union, Local 911 and Department of the Navy
Navy negotiability appeal deadline (FLRA 0-NG-1441): Union petition dismissed
California Teamsters Local 911 sought Authority review of the Navy's allegation that a proposed matter was outside the duty to bargain. The Authority calculated that the union had to mail or deliver its petition by July 28, 1987. The petition was postmarked August 11. Because the filing came after…
National Council of Field Labor Locals, Local 2513, AFGE and U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Region 2
Labor Department vehicle pickup trips (FLRA 0-NG-1363): Commuting proposal rejected
The Labor Department planned to require wage and hour investigators to pick up and return government vehicles at their area office rather than take them home. The union proposed treating the resulting trips between home and office as official business. The Authority read the proposal as requiring…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1943 and Naval Air Rework Facility, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville naval facility parking rules (FLRA 0-NG-1359): Bargaining ordered
NFFE Local 1943 proposed parking priorities among vanpools and carpools and color-coded decals to identify parking rights at a Jacksonville naval facility. The Navy argued that the proposals would affect employees outside the bargaining unit. The Authority majority found that any effect on those…
Overseas Education Association and Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Overseas school teacher workdays (FLRA 0-NG-1353): Calendar proposal outside bargaining duty
The Department of Defense Dependents Schools moved teacher workdays on its 1986 to 1987 calendar. The Overseas Education Association proposed half instructional days and half teacher workdays on four specified dates near the ends of marking periods. The Authority found that the proposal would…
Independent Letterman Hospital Workers' Union and Department of the Army, Nutrition Care, Letterman Army Medical Center
Letterman Army Medical Center proposals (FLRA 0-NG-1339): Incentive awards committee negotiable
The Letterman Hospital Workers' Union appealed the Army medical center's refusal to bargain over four proposals. The Authority found that union seats on the incentive awards committee were negotiable because the committee's award decisions did not exercise the management rights the Army cited. It…
National Association of Government Employees, Local R1-144 and Department of the Navy, Naval Underwater Systems Center
Naval Underwater Systems Center furlough terms (FLRA 0-NG-1308): Partial bargaining order
The union proposed notice and employee protections for short furloughs at the Naval Underwater Systems Center. The Authority found that requiring the Navy to give persuasive reasons for selecting an employee for furlough was a negotiable procedure. It also found negotiable a preference for brief…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1759 and Department of the Army, Headquarters, Fort McPherson, Georgia
Fort McPherson commissary belongings and lockers (FLRA 0-NG-1266): Three proposals negotiable
AFGE Local 1759 proposed protections for employees' belongings and lockers at a Fort McPherson commissary. One proposal called for secure storage of most handcarried items. Two others set a reasonable suspicion standard for searching personal belongings or lockers and generally required employees…
National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 22 and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service
Philadelphia IRS employee details (FLRA 0-NG-1240): Selected protections negotiable
NTEU Chapter 22 proposed terms for Philadelphia IRS employees temporarily assigned to service center and problem resolution work. The Authority rejected the IRS's claim that a workload emergency made all related proposals nonnegotiable. It ordered bargaining on selected terms involving training…
Overseas Education Association and Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Overseas schools calendar and workload (FLRA 0-NG-1227): Selected proposals negotiable
The Overseas Education Association challenged the schools agency's refusal to bargain over 22 proposals following changes to instructional days and the daily schedule. The Authority found that the agency had to bargain over the training expense sentence of Proposal 1, the space-available travel…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 797 and Department of the Navy
Navy bargaining agreement provisions (FLRA 0-NG-1220): Three provisions negotiable
The Navy disapproved four terms of a local agreement with NFFE Local 797. The Authority found a requirement to negotiate changes to workday starting and quitting times outside the duty to bargain because it would restrict changes to employee schedules. It found the union's seat on an incentive…
National Treasury Employees Union and Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service
Treasury Financial Management Service agreement (FLRA 0-NG-1193): Disapproval partly rescinded
The Treasury Financial Management Service disapproved six provisions of a local agreement with the National Treasury Employees Union. The Authority upheld a first-consideration procedure for internal candidates, most of a reduction-in-force article, and official time for a union representative to…
Overseas Education Association, Inc. and Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Overseas schools impact bargaining (FLRA 0-NG-1115): Selected proposals negotiable
The Overseas Education Association appealed the schools agency's refusal to bargain over proposals made during negotiations about the impact of workplace changes. The proposals addressed substitutes, employee assignments, classroom schedules, examinations, and compensation for lost preparation…
Social Security Administration and American Federation of Government Employees
Social Security arbitration filing deadline (FLRA 0-AR-1424): Agency exceptions dismissed
The Social Security Administration challenged Arbitrator Donald Daughton's award. The Authority calculated that exceptions sent by mail or filed in person had to be timely by September 8, 1987. The agency filed its exceptions in person on September 9. Because the filing came one day after the…
Defense Logistics Agency and DLA Council of American Federation of Government Employees Locals, Local 3953
DLA arbitration witness expenses (FLRA 0-AR-1398): Union exceptions denied
In a grievance over a union president's official time and expenses, an arbitrator considered which witnesses could testify and whether the Defense Logistics Agency had to pay their travel and per diem. He found only one witness relevant and concluded that the parties' agreement did not require…
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Department of the Treasury and Washington Plate Printers Union, Local No. 2
Bureau of Engraving and Printing press staffing (FLRA 0-AR-1322): Arbitration award upheld
The Bureau changed break and lunch scheduling for a postage stamp press, leaving it staffed by fewer than three printers for part of each shift. An arbitrator found that the parties had an established agreement to use a three-printer crew whenever the press operated and sustained that part of the…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1960 and Department of the Navy Development Center
Navy Development Center arbitration (FLRA 0-AR-1221): Grievant's petition dismissed
The Authority had modified an arbitration award after the Navy filed exceptions. The grievant's attorneys asked it to withdraw that ruling, arguing that the Navy's exceptions had been late. The Authority held that the grievant lacked standing to seek reconsideration because he had not participated…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Respirable-dust settlement approved and penalties reduced to $40
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. faced two respirable-dust violations at the Bessie Mine. The original penalties totaled $272, and the parties proposed settlements totaling $40. Judge Paul Merlin approved the settlement after considering the parties' representation that miners in the designated…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Settlement approved and contest dismissed for $1,900
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. faced three violations at the No. 4 Mine involving material transport, roof control, and inspection requirements. The original penalties totaled $2,600, and the parties proposed settlements totaling $1,900. Judge Paul Merlin approved the reductions for the…
Buckeye Industrial Mining Company, Inc.
Discrimination complaint dismissed
Richard W. Peters alleged that Buckeye Industrial Mining Company, Inc. reassigned him from truck driving to lower-paid laborer work after a job accident and his safety complaints about the truck's brakes. Judge Roy J. Maurer found that Peters engaged in protected activity by raising the brake…
U.S. Air Force Reserves, Headquarters, 910th Tactical Airlift Group, Vienna, Ohio
Air Force Reserve employee addresses (FLRA 5-CA-70130): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 1952 requested names and home addresses for the employees it represented at the 910th Tactical Airlift Group in Ohio. The Air Force Reserves refused, arguing that disclosure raised privacy concerns, compiling the addresses would be burdensome, and the union had waived the request during…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1738 and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury medical center union steward removal (FLRA 4-CO-47): Complaint dismissed on remand
A union steward at the Salisbury Veterans Administration Medical Center reported alleged patient abuse as his job required. The union removed him from the steward role shortly afterward, and the Authority initially found a union unfair labor practice. A federal appeals court remanded the case for a…
General Services Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 236
GSA promotion crediting plans on remand (FLRA 3-CA-30491): Complaint dismissed
AFGE Council 236 asked the General Services Administration to bargain over promotion crediting plans and to provide copies of the plans for that purpose. The Authority had first dismissed the complaint because the proposals arose during an existing contract. After a court remand, it changed that…
National Treasury Employees Union and Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission pay formula (FLRA 0-NG-1250): Proposal negotiable
The National Treasury Employees Union proposed a formula for adjusting Nuclear Regulatory Commission salaries using a federal pay advisory recommendation. The Commission argued that the Atomic Energy Act and its budget right barred bargaining, and that the union's appeal was late. The Authority…
Overseas Federation of Teachers and Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Mediterranean Region
Overseas teachers arbitration filing deadline (FLRA 0-AR-1429): Exceptions dismissed
The Overseas Federation of Teachers challenged an arbitration award involving Defense Department schools in the Mediterranean region. The Authority found that the union had to mail or deliver its exceptions by September 2, 1987, but the mailing was postmarked September 9. The union pointed to the…
Tinker Air Force Base and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 916
Tinker Air Force Base overtime remedy (FLRA 0-AR-1401): Union exception denied
A Tinker Air Force Base supervisor assigned 18 overtime hours without following the contract roster. The arbitrator found that two employees should have received those hours and ordered make-whole relief of 10 hours for one and eight for the other. The union argued that each employee should receive…
Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration and AFGE Local 1346
Social Security field assignment grievance (FLRA 0-AR-1383): Union exception denied
The Social Security Administration switched two Milwaukee field representatives' service areas. One employee grieved, arguing that the agency had failed to bargain and had discriminated against him based on sex and age. The arbitrator found no contract violation or discrimination, crediting the…
Social Security Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1336
Social Security reprimand and module transfer (FLRA 0-AR-1315): Agency exceptions denied
An arbitrator found that the Social Security Administration lacked just cause to reprimand an employee and ordered the reprimand removed. As part of the remedy, he also directed the agency to transfer the employee to another work module as soon as practical. The agency argued that the transfer…
Overseas Education Association and Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Overseas teacher housing and return travel (FLRA 0-AR-1310, 0-AR-1316): Fee award removed
A teacher at a Defense Department school in West Germany sought a living quarters allowance and a return transportation agreement after receiving conflicting personnel advice. The arbitrator found that regulations did not make her eligible for either benefit, but awarded return transportation on…
Internal Revenue Service, Indianapolis District and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 49
Indianapolis IRS seasonal employee schedule (FLRA 0-AR-1246): Backpay award set aside; later reversed
An Indianapolis IRS employee grieved after her seasonal work schedule was reduced to eight hours a week. The arbitrator concluded that earlier part-time scheduling had effectively converted her to part-time career employment, which required at least 16 hours a week absent a management…
Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration and American Federation of Government Employees
Social Security official time awards reconsideration (FLRA 0-AR-1241): Requests denied
An earlier Authority ruling resolved exceptions to several arbitration awards about official time and compensation for union representatives. The union sought reconsideration of the portion that rejected official time and travel expenses for representation at an unemployment compensation hearing…
Westmoreland Coal Company
Stay lifted and contest dismissed after withdrawal
Westmoreland Coal Company asked to withdraw its contest of a mine-safety order based on an agreement with the Secretary of Labor. The United Mine Workers of America, the intervenor, did not object. Judge Gary Melick granted permission to withdraw under 29 C.F.R. § 2700.11, lifted the existing stay…
Rolla Research Center, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Rolla, Missouri
Rolla Research Center appraisal grievances (FLRA 7-CA-60066, 7-CA-60128): Information and grievance access ordered
NFFE Local 934 challenged performance appraisals at the Bureau of Mines' Rolla Research Center and requested employee rating data to investigate the grievances. The center withheld the data on privacy grounds, even after the union narrowed and anonymized its request. It also declined to convene the…
Internal Revenue Service and National Treasury Employees Union
IRS union midterm bargaining on remand (FLRA 3-CA-20156): Bargaining ordered
The National Treasury Employees Union submitted proposals during two IRS collective bargaining agreements about matters those agreements did not cover. The IRS refused to bargain because it had not initiated changes in those areas. The Authority first dismissed the complaint, but a federal appeals…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1256 and K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan
K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base union committees (FLRA 0-NG-1260): Three provisions negotiable
NFFE Local 1256 negotiated representation on committees for equal employment opportunity, suggestions and incentive awards, and occupational safety and health at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base. The Air Force disapproved the provisions, arguing that union participation would interfere with management's…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1853 and U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office agreement terms (FLRA 0-NG-1081): Three provisions negotiable
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn disapproved four terms of its agreement with NFFE Local 1853. The Authority found negotiable a reasonable time for initiating discipline, procedures for offering overtime to qualified volunteers and rotating it equitably, and a minimum improvement period after…
Smith Brothers Construction, Inc.
Discrimination settlement approved with $200 penalty
Smith Brothers Construction, Inc. admitted that it discriminated against Bryant M. Hatfield, Jr. after a foreman threatened him with physical harm because of complaints about preshift belt examinations at the No. 1 Mine. The company agreed to remove adverse remarks about Hatfield's safety…
Timber Lakes Corporation
Three citations affirmed, one vacated, and $750 assessed
Timber Lakes Corporation operated a small sand and gravel pit where a worker was struck by a pipe wrench while trying to restart a conveyor. Judge John J. Morris affirmed citations for failing to report the accident, allowing an employee to work alone in a hazardous area, and performing machinery…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth VA employee addresses (FLRA 7-CA-70391): Disclosure ordered
NFFE Local 1765 asked the Leavenworth Veterans Administration Medical Center for bargaining unit employees' names and home addresses. The center provided names but withheld addresses, citing the Privacy Act, a lack of specific need, and other ways for the union to reach employees. The judge applied…
Veterans Administration and Veterans Administration Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans VA employee addresses (FLRA 6-CA-70146): National agency held responsible
AFGE Local 3553 asked the New Orleans Veterans Administration Medical Center for bargaining unit employees' names and home addresses. The medical center refused because the Veterans Administration's national office instructed it to withhold the information. The Authority found that disclosure was…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Muskogee, Oklahoma and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2250
Muskogee VA clinical privileges reconsideration (FLRA 6-CA-50105, 6-CA-50106): Agency request denied
The Veterans Administration sought reconsideration of an Authority ruling that changes in two physicians' clinical privileges required bargaining. Its motion had first been dismissed as late because an official envelope had no postmark. The Authority clarified that its five-day filing presumption…
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.