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.
Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, North Atlantic Region, (New York, NY) (Respondent) and National Treasury Employees Union and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 102 (Charging Party)
ATF must grant official time for midterm bargaining (FLRA 1-CA-375)
ATF’s North Atlantic Region refused official time to two union representatives for a meeting about a planned realignment. The Judge found that the meeting discussed the effects of the change and counted as bargaining under the statute, even though the union had not made formal written proposals…
Division of Military and Naval Affairs, State of New York, Albany, New York (Respondent) and New York State Council of Association of Civilian Technicians, Inc. (Charging Party)
New York National Guard conversion complaints dismissed (FLRA 1-CA-16)
The New York National Guard planned to convert certain civilian technician positions to full-time military positions. The union alleged that the agency failed to bargain over the change, withheld information, bypassed the union, and improperly treated a Brooklyn position as entry level. The Judge…
Headquarters, Air Force Logistics Command (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Council No. 214 (Union)
Air Force manual grievance found nonarbitrable (FLRA O-AR-164)
A union grieved an Air Force Logistics Command guidance manual, arguing that it reduced contractual rights. The arbitrator found the grievance nonarbitrable because no specific agency action had yet infringed employee rights. The union argued that it should have received a hearing on the merits…
The National Council of Field Labor Locals, Local 2513, American Federation of Government Employees (Union) and U.S. Department of Labor (Agency)
DOL arbitration exceptions dismissed as untimely (FLRA O-AR-344)
A DOL union filed exceptions to an arbitration award after the statutory 30-day period. The exceptions were initially misdirected to a former address and later filed in the Authority’s New York regional office. The Authority held that they did not reach its national office by the December 29…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Hospital, Montrose, New York (Activity) and Local 1119, American Federation of Government Employees (Union)
VA probationary-separation grievance found arbitrable (FLRA O-AR-303)
A Montrose VA hospital asked whether a grievance over a probationary employee’s separation could proceed under its labor agreement. The arbitrator found the grievance arbitrable. The VA argued that the federal labor statute excluded it, but the Authority had rejected that reading in an earlier…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1931 and Naval Weapons Station, Concord, California
AFGE Local 1931 and Naval Weapons Station (FLRA O-AR-30): arbitration remedy left in place
An arbitrator found that the Naval Weapons Station in Concord, California violated its collective bargaining agreement by limiting official time for union representatives. The arbitrator ordered reimbursement for union payments to representatives for work performed between February and December…
Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Area III (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3231, AFL-CIO (Union)
SSA delayed promotion and backpay award upheld (FLRA O-AR-258)
An SSA claims representative’s career-ladder promotion was delayed after approved paperwork failed to reach the personnel office. An arbitrator treated the lost forms as an administrative error and ordered retroactive promotion with backpay. The Authority held that the Back Pay Act could remedy…
Department of the Army, Troop Support Agency, Midwest Commissary Field Office, Fort Riley, Kansas (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2324, Fort Riley, Kansas (Union)
Fort Riley work-assignment grievance award upheld (FLRA O-AR-230)
The union challenged a Fort Riley commissary arbitration award rejecting a grievance over work assignments, assignments by sex, and a job description. The arbitrator found no violation of the collective bargaining agreement on the submitted issues. The union claimed that he misunderstood the…
Veterans Administration (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 997 (Union)
VA pharmacy suspensions arbitration award upheld (FLRA O-AR-223)
A VA pharmacy employee received separate three-day and ten-day suspensions for prescription-handling problems. An arbitrator found just cause for both and denied the grievance. The union alleged an improper file submission and challenged the finding that the employee had been counseled. The…
Local 1770, American Federation of Government Employees, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Union) and Department of the Army, Headquarters, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Activity)
Fort Bragg official-time grievance award upheld (FLRA O-AR-214)
A Fort Bragg union representative requested two hours of official time for representational duties. The agency denied that time because of workload and offered alternatives. An arbitrator found no contract violation, and the union argued that federal labor law required the time. The Authority found…
Dobbins Air Force Base (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2069 (Union)
Dobbins probationary termination award upheld (FLRA O-AR-198)
An arbitrator upheld Dobbins Air Force Base’s termination of a probationary employee after finding shortcomings in attitude and cooperation. The union argued that the award failed to discuss a required written performance appraisal. The Authority found that the absence of discussion did not…
National Council of Field Labor Locals of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (Union) and United States Department of Labor (Agency)
DOL probationary separation arbitration award upheld (FLRA O-AR-190)
A DOL probationary employee grieved his termination and the agency’s failure to maintain a contractual stay. The arbitrator found a breach of the stay provision but no substantive remedy, and found that the employee had received a full and fair probationary trial. The union argued that termination…
Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia Regional Office (Activity) and National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 22 (Union)
IRS suspension grievance award upheld (FLRA O-AR-182)
An arbitrator sustained an IRS employee’s grievance over a one-day suspension because the agency did not give the advance notice required by the collective bargaining agreement. The IRS argued that the arbitrator disregarded a past practice and misread the contract. The Authority found that those…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salisbury, North Carolina (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1738, AFL-CIO (Union)
VA employee parking arbitration award upheld (FLRA O-AR-179)
A union challenged the Salisbury VA medical center’s parking assignments, which reserved spaces for carpools despite a contract clause calling for first-come, first-served parking. The arbitrator denied the grievance after finding that a government-wide parking regulation controlled. The union…
Immigration and Naturalization Service (Agency) and American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (Union)
Border Patrol suspension arbitration award upheld (FLRA O-AR-177)
An arbitrator set aside a Border Patrol agent’s ten-day suspension for off-duty misconduct after finding no proven effect on service efficiency. The Immigration and Naturalization Service argued that the arbitrator applied the wrong legal standard and had not addressed every charge. The Authority…
Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, United States Navy and NAGE Local R4-2
Navy shipbuilding and NAGE Local R4-2 (FLRA O-AR-176): reconsideration of arbitration ruling denied
An arbitrator denied a Navy employee's grievance over a five-day suspension for being absent from his worksite. The arbitrator credited the supervisor's account over the employee's. The Authority had rejected the union's exceptions because they disputed the arbitrator's assessment of evidence and…
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (Union) and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Activity)
Portsmouth supervisory-promotion grievance remained nonarbitrable (FLRA O-AR-167)
A union grieved Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s filling of a supervisory position. The arbitrator found the grievance outside a contract procedure limited to bargaining-unit positions. The union argued that the later federal labor statute and an oral agreement automatically broadened the grievance…
Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Fort Knox Exchange, Fort Knox, Kentucky (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2302, AFL-CIO (Union)
Fort Knox promotion award set aside (FLRA O-AR-154)
A Fort Knox Exchange employee grieved a promotion decision. The arbitrator found that the agency had not considered qualifications, performance, or potential and ordered the most senior applicant promoted with backpay. The Authority held that the award took away management’s statutory right to make…
Pinkston-Hollar, Inc.
Secretary allowed to withdraw citations
After confirming that it had jurisdiction over the Pinkston-Hollar case, the Commission granted the Secretary's motion to withdraw the citations. The short order does not identify the underlying allegations, cited standards, or proposed penalties. It gives no additional reason for the withdrawal.
Pittsburgh Forgings Company
Discovery sanction vacating citation items affirmed
During discovery, the Secretary repeatedly filed late responses and did not fully explain why requested inspection materials were missing or unavailable. The judge found that this disrupted Pittsburgh Forgings' preparation and vacated only citation items whose underlying conditions had already been…
Wenczel Tile Company; R. T. Vanderbilt Company
Asbestos citations vacated for lack of knowledge
Wenczel used NYTAL 99 industrial talc supplied by R. T. Vanderbilt, and OSHA alleged that the product contained asbestos fibers requiring caution labels, exposure monitoring, and employee medical examinations. The Commission agreed with the judge that NYTAL 99 contained asbestos fibers. It…
The Stacey Manufacturing Company
Shear item vacated and punch item affirmed
OSHA cited Stacey for inadequate guarding on a large steel shear and a hole-punch machine. The Commission vacated the shear item because horizontal pipes and bars greatly restricted access to the blade and hold-downs, employees had no operational reason to place their hands there, and the Secretary…
Hermitage Concrete Pipe Co.
Silica overexposure treated as serious
Hermitage Concrete Pipe employees were exposed to respirable silica dust concentrations as high as seven times the permissible limit while handling sand and cement and finishing conduit. After a federal court rejected the Commission's earlier seriousness test and remanded the case, the Commission…
Allied Chemical Corporation
Equipment citation upheld; electrical citations vacated
MSHA cited Allied Chemical after finding missing bolts in supports on a longwall miner and exposed wires in a switch box at the Alchem Trona Mine. Judge John J. Morris upheld the equipment-defect citation because the missing bolts affected safety, including hydraulic support. He vacated three…
Tidewater Virginia Federal Employees Metal Trades Council/International Association of Machinists, Local No. 441 (Respondent) and Douglas Edward Burns (Charging Party) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Agency)
Tidewater union ordered to represent nonmembers equally (FLRA 3-CO-59)
A Norfolk Naval Shipyard employee charged the Tidewater metal trades council and machinists local with unfair representation based on union membership. The Judge found a violation. The Authority adopted the Judge’s findings and conclusions while modifying the recommended order. It directed the…
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO, NASA Headquarters Professional Association (Union) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Headquarters, Washington, DC (Agency)
NASA reduction-in-force bumping proposal outside duty to bargain (FLRA 0-NG-99)
A NASA headquarters union proposed that employees released from their competitive levels during a reduction in force could bump workers in other levels. The Authority found that the proposal would affect positions and employees outside the union’s bargaining unit. It held that the agency had no…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 405 (Union) and Army Troop Support and Aviation Materiel Readiness Command (Activity)
Army troop support arbitration exceptions dismissed as late (FLRA 0-AR-350)
NFFE Local 405 filed exceptions to an Army Troop Support arbitration award dated January 11, 1982. The exceptions reached the Authority on February 16, seven days after the February 9 statutory deadline. The Authority said it could not extend or waive the 30-day filing limit and dismissed them…
The Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (Agency) and The Pennsylvania State Council Association of Civilian Technicians, Inc. (Union)
Pennsylvania technician uniform grievance award upheld (FLRA 0-AR-161)
An arbitrator sustained a grievance over which Pennsylvania National Guard civilian technicians had to wear uniforms during an inspection. The agency argued that a related unfair-labor-practice charge barred arbitration and that the arbitrator misread the labor agreement. The Authority found that…
FMC Corporation
Imminent-danger order vacated; equipment penalties upheld
MSHA issued an imminent-danger order and citations over defects in a vehicle at FMC's mine, including inoperative front brakes, a damaged spring shackle, a battery condition, and a discharged fire extinguisher. Judge James A. Broderick found the vehicle's condition did not meet the Act's…
Price River Coal Company, Successor to Braztah Corporation
Price River Coal Company (FMSHRC WEST 79-59): Late penalty proposals and citations vacated
MSHA cited Price River Coal's predecessor for combustible material and ventilation plan violations, then filed its penalty proposal months after the deadline. Judge John J. Morris found the Secretary's workload explanation insufficient to justify the delay. He also found prejudice because a key…
Price River Coal Company, Successor to Braztah Corporation
Price River Coal Company (FMSHRC WEST 79-39): Respirable-dust citation and $240 penalty affirmed
MSHA cited Price River Coal's predecessor after company air samples showed respirable dust above the limit at the Braztah 5 Mine. Judge John J. Morris found the sampling evidence established a violation of the dust standard. He rejected the company's objection that MSHA had not introduced the…
Price River Coal Company, Successor to Braztah Corporation
Combustible accumulations citation and $395 penalty affirmed
MSHA cited Price River Coal's predecessor for combustible material along a surface belt at the Braztah No. 5 Mine. Coal dust had accumulated under the conveyor, and coal, weeds, paper, and oil cans were nearby. Judge John J. Morris rejected the company's argument that the citation was too vague…
Old Ben Coal Company
Appeals dismissed at appellants' request
The Secretary of Labor and the United Mine Workers of America appealed in four cases arising under the 1969 Coal Act, then both sought dismissal. Old Ben Coal, which had prevailed below, opposed dismissal. The Commission granted the appellants' request because dismissal would not prejudice Old Ben…
American Materials Corporation
High-voltage warning violation upheld
A truck driver hauling sand from American Materials' pit was electrocuted after raising his trailer bed into a high-voltage powerline. MSHA cited the company for failing to post warning signs or barricade approaches to the hazard. The Commission held that the driver was protected by the mine safety…
Eastern Associated Coal Corp.
Union appeal dismissed after penalties paid
Eastern Associated Coal moved to dismiss a union appeal in six cases under the 1969 Coal Act. The Secretary agreed that payment of the assessed penalties had mooted the issues, and the union did not meaningfully oppose dismissal. The Commission declined to decide the cases because the parties no…
Eastern Coal Corporation
Secretary's discrimination complaint withdrawn; miner may file separately
The Secretary sought to withdraw a discrimination complaint filed for Thomas H. May against Eastern Coal Corporation. After further review, the Secretary concluded that May's medical evaluation did not meet the statutory prerequisite for the alleged protected activity. Judge Richard C. Steffey…
Kansas City Power & Light Company
Coal-pulverizer hazard recognized and case remanded
Fifteen employees were injured when a coal pulverizer exploded at Kansas City Power & Light's generating plant. OSHA alleged that control circuitry could abruptly stop a hot, loaded pulverizer without purging coal dust and volatile gases, increasing the explosion risk. The judge found no recognized…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3004, AFL-CIO (Union) and Department of the Air Force, Massachusetts Air National Guard, Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts (Agency)
Otis promotion-evaluation appeal dismissed for vague proposal (FLRA 0-NG-485)
An AFGE local at Otis Air Force Base proposed bargaining over suggested changes to promotion evaluation patterns. The Authority found that the disputed wording did not identify which parts of the patterns or what changes the union wanted. Because the proposal lacked enough detail for a…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1692 (Union) and Department of the Air Force, Mather Air Force Base, California (Agency)
Mather Air Force Base provisions split on negotiability (FLRA 0-NG-360)
An AFGE local challenged the Air Force’s disapproval of two provisions in a Mather Air Force Base agreement. The Authority found that the first provision improperly constrained management’s work assignments. It held the second provision negotiable as an arrangement for affected employees. It…
National Treasury Employees Union and NTEU Chapter 80 (Union) and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Central Region (Agency)
IRS open-office proposals partly negotiable (FLRA 0-NG-353)
NTEU proposed seven measures addressing a planned open-office layout in an IRS region. The Authority held that proposals for partitions, sound control, lighting, and private meetings were negotiable because the agency had not shown interference with work methods. It held that a proposal reserving…
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1363 (Union) and Headquarters, U.S. Army Garrison, Yongsan, Korea (Agency)
Korean currency negotiability appeal dismissed as moot (FLRA 0-NG-276)
A union at the Army garrison in Yongsan, Korea sought review of proposals about using Korean currency at installation clubs. It also pursued an unfair-labor-practice charge over a payment policy. The General Counsel found no material change in working conditions and no bargaining obligation. The…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1760 (Union) and Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Social Security Administration, Northeastern Program Service Center, Flushing, New York (Agency)
SSA sign-in register proposal held negotiable (FLRA 0-NG-270)
An AFGE local proposed a daily sign-in and sign-out register during bargaining over flexible work hours at an SSA service center. The agency asserted that the register would interfere with internal security and its means of performing work. The Authority found that the agency had not shown how the…
Department of the Air Force (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1668, AFL-CIO (Union)
Air Force removal arbitration exceptions dismissed for lack of jurisdiction (FLRA 0-AR-349)
Exceptions to an Air Force arbitration award concerned an employee’s removal. The Authority held that removal matters covered by 5 U.S.C. § 7512 are excluded from its arbitration-exception jurisdiction. It dismissed the exceptions and explained that review of the arbitrator’s award could be sought…
Veterans Administration Medical Center, New York, New York (Activity) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2094, AFL-CIO (Union)
New York VA arbitration exceptions dismissed as late (FLRA 0-AR-348)
The union filed exceptions to a New York VA medical center arbitration award dated January 6, 1982. The Authority calculated a February 4 deadline, but the exceptions were not filed until February 9. Because it could not extend or waive the statutory 30-day period, the Authority dismissed the…
U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Command (AARADCOM), Dover, New Jersey (Activity) and National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1437 (Union)
Army armament arbitration exceptions dismissed as late (FLRA 0-AR-341)
The union filed exceptions to an Army Armament Research and Development Command arbitration award dated December 14, 1981. The deadline was January 12, 1982, but the filing reached the Authority on January 28. The Authority held that it could not extend or waive the 30-day period and dismissed the…
FMC Corporation
Lube-truck reporting, brake, and parking violations upheld; $1,040 assessed
MSHA cited FMC Corporation after a lube truck at its underground trona mine rolled toward and injured its operator. Judge James A. Broderick found that the truck was parked on a grade without its brake set or its wheels blocked, and that its brakes were inadequate. He also found a reporting…
FMC Corporation
Lube-truck brake and parking citations affirmed; $800 assessed
MSHA cited FMC Corporation after a lube truck at its underground trona mine moved and struck a miner during servicing. Judge James A. Broderick found the truck's brakes inadequate because its braking system could fail when the lubrication pumps depleted air pressure. He also found that the truck…
Matter of Fakalata
Tongan customary adoption lacked legal effect for immigration
The Board reviewed a lawful permanent resident's visa petition for a beneficiary whom he had raised as his adopted son under Tongan customary law. The Board held that a customary adoption must create a legal status or relationship recognized by the government where it occurred and carrying…
Clinchfield Coal Company
Battery-charging station citation and withdrawal order affirmed
MSHA cited Clinchfield Coal because its underground battery-charging station lacked a complete fireproof enclosure. Judge Gary Melick found that the charger and a battery being charged were close to combustible coal ribs without adequate fireproof separation. He rejected Clinchfield's argument that…
South East Coal Company, Inc.
Miners' safety refusal protected; back pay ordered
Nine miners at South East Coal's No. 8 Mine lost three days of work after two crew members refused to cut toward an old mine without test boreholes. Judge James A. Broderick found that the two miners reasonably feared water and bad air based on what they knew, so their refusal was protected by the…
Peabody Coal Company
Warrantless request for required accident records upheld
MSHA asked Peabody Coal for required records concerning a rock fall and a reported injury at its Ken No. 4 Mine. Peabody refused to let the inspector examine them without a search warrant. Judge Michael A. Lasher, Jr. held that the Mine Act and recordkeeping rules required the company to retain and…
Patrick J. Mooney v. Sohio Western Mining Company
Discrimination complaint dismissed after discharge
Patrick Mooney alleged that Sohio Western Mining discharged him because he had protested unsafe work and complained about reports concerning a workplace injury. Judge Virgil E. Vail found that Mooney's earlier ladder-safety complaint was too remote from the discharge and that Sohio had legitimate…
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Agency/Petitioner) and American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (Labor Organization); HUD, San Diego Service Office (Activity) and AFGE (Labor Organization/Petitioner) and National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1954 (Labor Organization/Intervenor); HUD Los Angeles Area Office, Los Angeles, California (Agency) and NFFE, Local 477 (Labor Organization/Petitioner) and AFGE (Labor Organization/ Intervenor)
HUD field-office units clarified after reorganization (FLRA 3-CU-1)
HUD’s reorganization changed the reporting lines of its field service offices and led to four consolidated representation petitions. The Authority aligned service offices with the area offices that controlled their operations, clarifying AFGE’s nationwide units and NFFE Local 477’s Los Angeles area…
Climax Molybdenum Company a Division of Amax, Inc., and Boyles Bros. Drilling Company
Climax Molybdenum Company and Boyles Bros. Drilling Company (FMSHRC WEST 80-157-M): Three vehicle-warning citations vacated; other penalties ordered
MSHA cited Climax Molybdenum for operating two water trucks and a loader at an open pit mine without warning flags or flashers. Judge John A. Carlson found that the broad safe-access standard did not specify those devices and that MSHA had not shown Climax's existing road and vehicle precautions…
Matter of Penner
Skilled workers lacked specialized knowledge for L classification
The Commissioner reviewed a petition seeking to transfer five Canadian oil and gas drilling workers to the United States under the L intra-company transferee classification. The workers were a motorman, derrickman, driller, assistant driller, and electrician, and the petitioner argued that their…
Youghiogheny and Ohio Coal Company
Roof-support citation vacated
MSHA cited Youghiogheny and Ohio Coal for allegedly inadequate support of a broken roof area at its Nelms No. 2 Mine. Chief Judge Paul Merlin found that the approved roof-control plan allowed additional roof mats and did not require center bolts in these circumstances. He also credited the…
McDowell Quarry Company
Brake and noise citations affirmed; brake penalty reduced
MSHA cited McDowell Quarry after a loader's brakes failed to hold on an incline and a crusher operator's noise exposure exceeded the limit. Judge John J. Morris found both violations proven. He credited the quarry owner's testimony that the brakes had worked earlier that morning and found the…
Cornell & Company, Inc.
Suspended-load general duty citation vacated
Cornell employees installing a lower beam worked beneath an upper beam suspended from the same crane hook. OSHA cited the general duty clause for exposing them to a suspended-load hazard. The Commission found that the crane was a truck crane and that 29 C.F.R. § 1926.550(b)(2) incorporated an ANSI…
Cargill, Inc., Nutrena Feed Division
One grain-dust item vacated and one remanded
OSHA brought two general duty clause allegations at Cargill's grain elevator and feed mill. One concerned secondary grain-dust fires and explosions in enclosed conveyor legs without explosion-relief venting. The Commission found that hazard recognized but affirmed vacation because Cargill proved…
Snyder Well Servicing, Inc.
Respirator item affirmed and other well-site items vacated
Snyder used a mobile service rig to swab a newly drilled Texas oil well, removing material from the well bore. The Commission held that swabbing had not been shown to be construction work, so construction standards did not apply. It nevertheless affirmed a serious general-industry respiratory…
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.