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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Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic, Los Angeles, California and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2297
Los Angeles VA clinic employee addresses (FLRA 8-CA-60438): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 2297 requested names and home addresses for employees in its Los Angeles VA clinic bargaining unit. The clinic refused, arguing that the union had not shown a need, could contact employees in other ways, and faced Privacy Act limits. Applying its Farmers Home decision, the Authority held…
U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, Installation Support Activity and National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 2058
Aberdeen Proving Ground overtime (FLRA 0-AR-1375): Backpay award stands
Aberdeen Proving Ground canceled two employees' scheduled overtime on their regular days off because they had taken annual leave during the week, then assigned the work to others. An arbitrator sustained their grievances, finding that the cancellation violated the parties' established practice, and…
Defense Logistics Agency, Department of Defense, Battle Creek, Michigan and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1626
Battle Creek promotion grievance (FLRA 0-AR-1361): Priority consideration replaces promotion
The Defense Logistics Agency in Battle Creek failed to interview an employee for a vacant position, violating its labor agreement. An arbitrator ordered her promoted to the next equivalent opening because she might have been selected had she received an interview. The Authority held that this…
Department of the Navy, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Metal Trades Council
Philadelphia shipyard sea trials (FLRA 0-AR-1311): Overtime added to backpay
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard did not assign two employees to the USS Luce's first sea trial even though management had found their participation essential. An arbitrator awarded them 16 hours of straight-time pay for each 24 hours they would have spent aboard. The Authority held that this limit…
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Midwest Region and National Treasury Employees Union
USDA Food and Nutrition Service contract (FLRA 0-AR-1292): One provision set aside
An arbitrator resolved several issues left open in Food and Nutrition Service bargaining with the National Treasury Employees Union. The agency challenged four contract provisions. The Authority set aside a provision allowing grievances over probationary terminations involving alleged…
Greenwich Collieries
Roof citation modified and two settled orders affirmed
Greenwich Collieries and Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company challenged three withdrawal orders and a related civil penalty proceeding at the Greenwich No. 1 Mine. Judge Gary Melick approved settlements for two orders, affirming them with reduced civil penalties of $700 and $500 and dismissing the…
Greenville Quarries, Incorporated
Seven violations assessed at $2,725
Greenville Quarries operated a limestone quarry and mill in Kentucky with about 30 employees. Judge George A. Koutras considered seven alleged violations involving electrical lockout procedures, mobile equipment brakes, equipment inspections, smoking near combustible materials, and roadway berms…
Matter of Estime
Timely response required review before visa revocation
A lawful permanent resident petitioned for preference status for her husband, but the Service revoked approval after questioning whether the marriage was bona fide. The petitioner submitted a timely response to the notice, and the Board held that the response had not yet been reviewed by the…
Patriot Coal Company
Backup-alarm settlement approved
Patriot Coal Company faced a proposed $250 penalty over the absence of a backup alarm on a pickup truck. The company argued that it reasonably believed the truck was a service vehicle not subject to the backup-alarm requirement, and the Secretary agreed that its negligence was less than originally…
Anlo Energy, Inc.
Mine-closure citations affirmed with $40 penalty
Anlo Energy's Peacock Mine No. 1 had been idle or abandoned for more than 90 days while the company was in bankruptcy. The company did not appear at the hearing, and Judge George A. Koutras found it in default. He affirmed citations for failing to file a mine map and failing to seal the mine…
Matter of Tomas
Kanjobal interpreter required for a fair asylum hearing
The Board reviewed a Guatemalan family's appeal after an immigration judge denied asylum and withholding of deportation. The family spoke Kanjobal, little or no Spanish, and no English, but the hearing proceeded with a Spanish interpreter and help from the family's 15-year-old daughter. The Board…
Marine Terminals Corporation
Longshore fall-protection settlement approved
Marine Terminals employees removed twist locks while working on top of stacked shipping containers aboard a vessel. Two employees worked 24 to 34 feet above the deck without tying off, although they wore harnesses. The judge found that the company had not effectively communicated, supervised, or…
Paul Hubbs Construction Co.
Three quarry citations affirmed
Paul Hubbs Construction Company operated the Atkinson Quarry in California, where a screening plant used a 250-kilowatt generator. Judge August F. Cetti affirmed citations for a discharged fire extinguisher, an unguarded conveyor tail pulley, and an ungrounded generator. He assessed civil penalties…
Western Fuels-Utah, Inc.
Roof-bolter task-training violation affirmed
Western Fuels-Utah operated the Deserado Mine in Colorado. A section foreman operated a roof-bolting machine without task training under 30 C.F.R. § 48.7, and the operator argued that state-certified supervisors were exempt. Judge Roy J. Maurer held that the exemption applies only while supervisory…
Nacco Mining Company
Idled miners entitled to compensation
Nacco Mining Company closed part of the Powhatan No. 6 Mine after MSHA found that an intake escapeway was not maintained for safe passage. The closure modification idled 87 miners for three days, and their union sought compensation under section 111 of the Mine Act. Judge William Fauver granted the…
Robert H. Cheyney
Discrimination settlement approved
Robert H. Cheyney and Hecla Mining Company reached a settlement of a discrimination proceeding under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. The company agreed to pay Cheyney $300, without admitting a violation, and Cheyney agreed to accept the payment in full satisfaction of his rights and…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement affirmed and remanded
Jim Walter Resources suspended and moved to discharge safety committeemen Michael L. Price and Joe John Vacha after they did not provide urine samples under the company's substance-abuse program. The Secretary alleged that the discharges were discriminatory, and an ALJ ordered temporary…
Benjamin Coal Company
Discrimination complaint challenged by show-cause order
John A. Harris, a blaster for Benjamin Coal Company, challenged his discharge after a surface blasting incident that caused fatal injuries to a mine foreman. Judge George A. Koutras found that Harris's complaint did not allege that the discharge resulted from protected activity under section…
Greenwich Collieries
Ventilation withdrawal order vacated
Greenwich Collieries challenged a withdrawal order alleging that the Greenwich No. 2 Mine was not following its approved ventilation plan. The judge found that no mining was taking place when the inspector visited and that the Secretary did not prove the alleged ventilation conditions on the…
Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3512
Albuquerque Social Security night shift (FLRA 86-CA-60355): Employee poll violated bargaining rights
The Social Security Administration's Albuquerque data center changed its night shift hours and later polled employees about a proposed schedule change without the union's consent. The administrative law judge found that the charge over the earlier unilateral shift change was filed more than six…
Naval Air Rework Facility, Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, California and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local Lodge 726
North Island naval facility addresses (FLRA 8-CA-70260): Disclosure ordered
Machinists Local Lodge 726 requested names and home addresses for wage grade employees it represented at the North Island naval air rework facility. The facility refused, arguing that privacy law barred release and that the union did not need the information. The parties had agreed that the records…
Department of the Navy, Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Center, San Diego, California and American Federation of Government Employees, Interdepartmental Local 3723
San Diego naval engineering employees (FLRA 8-CA-70161): Address disclosure ordered
AFGE Interdepartmental Local 3723 requested names and home addresses for its bargaining unit employees at the Navy's San Diego engineering center. The center refused, citing privacy and disputing the union's need for the information. The parties stipulated that the information was regularly…
Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Special Services Division, San Diego, California and American Federation of Government Employees, Interdepartmental Local 3723
San Diego Marine Corps employee addresses (FLRA 8-CA-70148): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Interdepartmental Local 3723 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot. The division denied the request, citing privacy and questioning the union's need for the information. The parties agreed that the records were maintained…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2382
Phoenix VA medical center addresses (FLRA 8-CA-70129): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 2382 requested names and home addresses of eligible nonprofessional employees it represented at the Phoenix VA medical center. The center refused, citing privacy law and other ways for the union to communicate with employees. The parties stipulated that the information was regularly…
Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, 6550th Air Base Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2568
Patrick Air Force Base employee addresses (FLRA 4-CA-60701): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 2568 asked Patrick Air Force Base for the names and home addresses of employees it represented. The base resisted, arguing that disclosure was barred by privacy law and that lists for some employees were not already assembled or readily available. The administrative law judge found that…
Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 22
Portsmouth Naval Hospital addresses (FLRA 34-CA-70288): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 22 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. The hospital denied the request. Applying its Farmers Home decision and the parties' stipulated facts, the Authority held that the information was needed for union representation and its…
U.S. Department of Education and National Council of Department of Education Locals, Council 252, American Federation of Government Employees
Department of Education employee addresses (FLRA 3-CA-70167): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Council 252 requested home addresses for a nationwide unit of Department of Education employees. The department declined, citing the Privacy Act, questioning the union's need, and pointing to other communication options. The parties stipulated that the information was maintained and reasonably…
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Financing Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923
Health Care Financing Administration addresses (FLRA 3-CA-70135): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 1923 requested the names and home addresses of employees it represented at the Health Care Financing Administration. The agency refused, arguing that the union had adequate other ways to communicate with employees. The parties stipulated that the information was regularly maintained…
Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 223
Philadelphia Financial Center addresses (FLRA 2-CA-70102): Disclosure ordered
NTEU Chapter 223 asked the Financial Management Service for names and home addresses of employees it represented at the Philadelphia Financial Center. The service refused, and an administrative law judge found an unfair labor practice. The General Counsel excepted only to clarify that the case…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1451 and Department of the Navy, Public Works Center, Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Navy beeper proposal (FLRA 0-NG-1425): Petition dismissed
NFFE Local 1451 proposed that employees at an Orlando Navy public works center be allowed to carry beepers voluntarily. The Navy initially said the proposal was nonnegotiable, and the union filed a petition for Authority review. The Navy then withdrew that allegation. With no remaining…
Federal Union of Scientists and Engineers, National Association of Government Employees and Naval Underwater Systems Center
Naval Underwater Systems Center RIF proposal (FLRA 0-NG-1421): Petition dismissed
The Federal Union of Scientists and Engineers proposed a contract term about reduction-in-force appeals at the Naval Underwater Systems Center. The center initially declared the proposal nonnegotiable, prompting the union to file a petition for Authority review. The center later withdrew that…
Federal Union of Scientists and Engineers, National Association of Government Employees, Local R1-144 and Naval Underwater Systems Center, Newport, Rhode Island
Newport Navy workspace proposals (FLRA 0-NG-1335): Petition dismissed
The scientists' union proposed that employees bid for office space by grade and seniority and that access to a second-floor workspace remain open. The Authority found that mandatory bidding would prevent the Navy from grouping employees by function, a method it used to perform its work. It also…
National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, District 1199 and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio
Dayton VA medical center proposals (FLRA 0-NG-1072): Bargaining ordered in part
District 1199 sought a ruling on 21 proposals for employees at the Dayton VA medical center. The VA argued broadly that its authority over medical staff and its regulations removed the matters from bargaining. The Authority rejected those broad objections, then reviewed the proposals individually…
Fort Stewart (Georgia) Association of Educators and Fort Stewart Schools
Fort Stewart teacher benefits (FLRA 0-NG-1071): Most proposals negotiable
The Fort Stewart educators' association proposed contract terms on teacher salaries, insurance, and leave. The schools argued that the proposals conflicted with federal law and agency authority. The Authority held that most of the pay and leave terms were within the duty to bargain, including a…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1770 and Department of the Army, Fort Bragg Dependent Schools
Fort Bragg school contract (FLRA 0-NG-1030): Agency disapproval partly rescinded
AFGE Local 1770 appealed the Army's disapproval of several provisions in a Fort Bragg schools labor agreement. The Authority upheld provisions on matters including qualified employees' first consideration for promotion, the definition of a grievance, and certain family leave terms. It rejected…
Corpus Christi Army Depot and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2142
Corpus Christi equipment repairer selections (FLRA 0-AR-1371): Rerating remedy stands
Two Corpus Christi Army Depot employees challenged the filling of equipment repairer positions. Management revised its rating plan and gave one employee priority consideration, but the grievance continued. An arbitrator found an invalid measure in the revised plan and ordered a valid plan to rerate…
Department of the Air Force, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 916
Tinker Air Force Base sick leave counseling (FLRA 0-AR-1370): Grievance denial stands
Tinker Air Force Base counseled an employee after she used 177 hours of sick leave in roughly seven months, often in short periods near weekends. An arbitrator found that the counseling was not discipline under the labor agreement or Air Force rules and that the union had not shown it lacked just…
U.S. Air Force, Air Logistics Command, Tinker Air Force Base and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 916
Tinker Air Force Base absence grievance (FLRA 0-AR-1367): AWOL finding stands
Tinker Air Force Base charged an employee with 45 minutes of absence without leave and counseled her. An arbitrator found just and sufficient cause for both actions and denied her grievance. The union argued that the employee had been taking a personal break under an established past practice. The…
Veterans Administration Medical Center and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 85
VA medical center workplace safety grievance (FLRA 0-AR-1364): Grievance denial stands
An employee grieved that a VA medical center had failed to provide a safe and healthful workplace. An arbitrator found that the employee had been given a safe place to work on the occasion at issue and denied the grievance. The union argued that the award was deficient because it did not…
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Eastern Region and Professional Airways Systems Specialists, MEBA
FAA attorney fee exception (FLRA 0-AR-1362): Dismissed for lack of jurisdiction
An arbitrator overturned an FAA employee's removal and ordered reinstatement with backpay, then denied the union's request for attorney fees in a supplemental award. The union filed an exception to the fee ruling with the Authority. The Authority held that the supplemental award related to a…
U.S. Marshals Service and Director, National Council of U.S. Marshals Service Local AFGE
U.S. Marshals settlement (FLRA 0-AR-1350): Two-year appointment remedy stands
A deputy marshal settled an earlier grievance by accepting an intermittent position for at least two years, with a minimum of 39 hours of work a week, while waiving rights to a permanent position. The Marshals Service later laid him off during budget reductions. An arbitrator ordered reimbursement…
Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington and Bremerton Metal Trades Council
Puget Sound shipyard employee addresses (FLRA 9-CA-70123): Disclosure ordered
The Bremerton Metal Trades Council requested names and home addresses for employees it represented at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The shipyard refused, citing the Privacy Act and arguing that the union did not need the information because other contact methods were available. The parties stipulated…
Department of the Air Force, Headquarters, Air Force Logistics Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 214
Wright-Patterson employee addresses (FLRA 5-CA-60387): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Council 214 requested names and home addresses of bargaining unit employees at the Air Force Logistics Command. The command refused, and an administrative law judge found that its objections did not overcome the statutory disclosure duty. The Authority reviewed the command's exceptions…
Veterans Administration, Leavenworth, Kansas Medical Center and American Federation of Government Employees
Leavenworth VA absence notice (FLRA 0-AR-1373): Admonishment stands
The Leavenworth VA medical center charged an employee with absence without leave and admonished him for failing to notify his supervisor when he could return. The absence charge was withdrawn during the grievance process, leaving the admonishment for arbitration. The arbitrator found that the…
U.S. Department of Education and National Council of Department of Education Locals, Council 252, AFGE
Department of Education appraisal (FLRA 0-AR-1329): Grievance denial stands
A Department of Education employee grieved her 1985 performance appraisal, claiming it conflicted with the agency's appraisal regulation and the labor agreement. An arbitrator found the appraisal met both sets of requirements and denied the grievance. The union argued that the award violated law…
Illinois Nurses' Association and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Hines, Illinois
Hines VA nurse proposals (FLRA O-NG-1212, O-NG-1234): Bargaining ordered in part
The Illinois Nurses' Association appealed the VA's refusal to bargain over 13 multi-section proposals for nurses at its Hines medical center. The VA argued that its medical staff authority and regulations broadly removed the proposals from federal labor bargaining. The Authority rejected those…
National Treasury Employees Union and U.S. Customs Service, Northeast Region
Northeast Customs employee suspension (FLRA O-AR-1357): Arbitrator's ruling stands
Customs suspended an employee for five days after a fight with another employee on duty. An arbitrator credited the employee's account that he acted in self-defense and found the suspension did not promote service efficiency. Customs argued that the arbitrator applied the wrong standard for…
National Treasury Employees Union and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
ATF labor meeting expenses (FLRA O-AR-1351): Attorney fee denial stands
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms initially refused official time, travel, and per diem for a national labor-management meeting. It agreed to pay those costs before arbitration, and the parties settled the grievance. The union still sought attorney fees. The arbitrator denied them because…
Naval Air Rework Facility, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Cherry Point dispatcher overtime (FLRA O-AR-1328): Backpay award set aside
A Cherry Point naval facility failed to assign a mobile equipment dispatcher to a night overtime shift, violating its labor agreement. An arbitrator found no evidence that the employee who grieved the omission had been denied work in reprisal, but awarded him the overtime pay because he raised the…
Texas Utilities Generating Company
Electrical orders dismissed and modified
Texas Utilities Generating Company faced two orders involving electrical work at the Sandow Mine substation. Judge Avram Weisberger found no violation of the transformer-enclosure rule because the employees had authorized entry and were supervised, so he dismissed Order No. 2838513. He found a…
Veterans Administration, Washington, D.C.; Veterans Administration Medical Center, Topeka, Kansas; and National Association of Government Employees, Local R14-8
Topeka VA medical center addresses (FLRA 7-CA-70192): Disclosure ordered
NAGE Local R14-8 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented at the Topeka VA medical center. The Veterans Administration and the center refused. An administrative law judge granted summary judgment and found an unfair labor practice. The Authority rejected the respondents'…
Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration and American Federation of Government Employees, Council 215
Social Security hearings staff addresses (FLRA 3-CA-70171): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Council 215 requested names and home addresses for employees it represented in Social Security's Office of Hearings and Appeals. The agency refused, citing privacy concerns and other ways for the union to contact employees. The parties stipulated that the information was maintained, reasonably…
Veterans Administration, Washington, D.C.; Veterans Administration Regional Office, Buffalo, New York; and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3314
Buffalo VA reassignment records (FLRA 1-CA-60120.1): Information refusal unlawful
AFGE Local 3314 requested records to evaluate a Buffalo VA employee's reassignment over an alleged conflict of interest. The VA deferred action because no grievance had yet been filed; it later showed the union some records at a meeting, and the employee withdrew her grievance. The Authority held…
Department of the Navy, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Richard Pearl, Victor Porro, and Portsmouth Federal Employees Metal Trades Council
Portsmouth shipyard asbestos award (FLRA 1-CA-30303 and related cases): Clarification ordered
The First Circuit returned a dispute over whether Portsmouth Naval Shipyard complied with an arbitration award concerning environmental differential pay and airborne asbestos on submarines. The Authority found the award and judge's decision too unclear to decide whether the shipyard had violated…
Phelps Dodge Corporation, Tyrone Branch
Pipe-stacking settlement approved at $5,000
Phelps Dodge Corporation faced a citation after stacked pipeline bundles shifted at the Tyrone Mine, seriously injuring one contractor employee and later causing that employee's death, while another employee suffered a broken leg. Judge Paul Merlin found that the way the pipes were stacked was one…
Department of Defense Dependents Schools, Washington, D.C. and Germany Region; and North Germany Area Council, Overseas Education Association
Germany dependents schools discipline records (FLRA 1-CA-30322): Disclosure ordered
The North Germany Area Council requested sanitized records about discipline for false statements while representing an employee accused of similar misconduct. The records covered management officials as well as bargaining unit employees. The Authority had previously held the management records…
Naval Air Rework Facility, Jacksonville, Florida and International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 512
Jacksonville electronic mechanics' pay (FLRA O-AR-1325): Classification grievance excluded
WG-11 electronic mechanics at a Jacksonville naval rework facility claimed they performed WG-12 work and should receive the higher pay rate. An arbitrator found that granting the claim would effectively reclassify their positions, a subject excluded from the negotiated grievance procedure by…
Social Security Administration, Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2809
Wilkes-Barre sick leave certificate (FLRA O-AR-1318): Reimbursement stands
At the Wilkes-Barre data center, an employee requested one day of sick leave after being denied annual leave for the day after Thanksgiving. A supervisor required medical documentation, and she paid $56 for an emergency room visit after finding no available doctor. An arbitrator found that…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2219
Lincoln VA medical center mailing addresses (FLRA 7-CA-70332): Disclosure ordered
AFGE Local 2219 requested names and mailing addresses for employees in its Lincoln VA medical center bargaining unit. The center refused, and an administrative law judge granted summary judgment for the General Counsel. The Authority reviewed the center's exceptions and adopted the judge's finding…
Fort Knox Teachers Association and Fort Knox Dependents Schools
Fort Knox reading teachers' extra pay (FLRA O-NG-1007): Bargaining ordered
The Fort Knox Teachers Association proposed placing reading improvement teachers on an extra duty pay schedule for the 1984-85 school year. The school argued that pay was outside bargaining and that the proposal conflicted with budget authority, procurement rules, the Antideficiency Act, and an…
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.