96-9321. Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16634-16636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9321]



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FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that three information collection 
requests contained in FMCS agency forms are coming up for renewal and 
FMCS is requesting extension of these currently approved collections. 
These forms are: FMCS Arbitrator's Report and Fee Statement (FMCS Form 
R-19), the FMCS Arbitrator's Personal Data Questionnaire (FMCS Form R-
22), and the FMCS Request for Arbitration Services (FMCS Form R-43). 
Before submitting the renewal packages to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), FMCS is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
collections as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 15, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments identified by the appropriate agency 
form number by mail to Office of the General Counsel, FMCS, 2100 K 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427, Room 603, ATTN: Tammi Strozier, 
Public Response Section. Copies of the complete agency forms may be 
obtained from the Office of the General Counsel at the above address or 
by contacting the person whose name appears under the section headed, 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Comments and data may also be submitted by fax at [phone] or 
electronically by sending electronic mail (e-mail) to [e-mail]. 
All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by the 
appropriate agency form number. No confidential business information 
(CBI) should be submitted through e-mail.
    Information submitted as a comment concerning this document may be 
claimed confidential by marking any part or all of the information as 
``CBI''. Information so marked will not be disclosed but a copy of the 
comment that does not contain CBI must be submitted for inclusion in 
the public record. Information not marked confidential may be disclosed 
publicly by FMCS without prior notice. All written comments will be 
available for inspection in Room 600 at the Washington, DC address 
above from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Eileen B. Hoffman, General Counsel, FMCS, 2100 K Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20427. Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; 
e-mail: [e-mail]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of each of the agency forms are 
available from the Office of General Counsel, Public Access Section by 
calling, faxing, or writing, Ms. Tammi Strozier at the above address. 
Please ask for the form by title and agency form number.

1. Information Collection Requests

    FMCS is seeking comments on the following information collection 
requests contained in an FMCS agency form.
    Title: Arbitrator's Personal Data Questionnaire. FMCS Form is R-22 
OMB No. 3076-0001. Expiration date 7/31/96.
    Affecting entities: Parties affected by this information collection 
are the individuals who apply for admission to the FMCS Roster of 
Arbitrators.
    Abstract: Title II of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 
(Public Law 90-101) as amended in 1959 (Public Law 86-257) and 1974 
(Public Law 93-360), states that the labor policy of the United States, 
as follows:

    The settlement of issues between employers and employees through 
collective bargaining may be advanced by making available full and 
adequate governmental facilities for conciliation, mediation, and 
voluntary arbitration to encourage employers and the representatives 
of their employees to reach and maintain rates of pay, hours, and 
working conditions, and to make all reasonable efforts to settle 
their differences by mutual agreement reached through conferences 
and collective bargaining or by such methods as may be provided for 
in any applicable agreement for the settlement of disputes.

    Under its regulations at 29 C.F.R. Part 1404, FMCS has established 
policies, function, and procedures for its arbitration functions, 
including for dealing with all arbitrators listed on the FMCS Roster of 
Arbitrators, all applicants for listing on the Roster, and all persons 
or parties seeking to obtain from FMCS either names or panels of names 
of arbitrators listed on the Roster in connection with disputes which 
are to be submitted to arbitration or fact-finding.
    FMCS strives to maintain the highest quality of dispute resolvers 
on its roster. To ensure that purpose, it asks all candidates to 
complete an application form. This procedure allows FMCS to select 
highly qualified candidates for the arbitrator roster. The respondents 
are private citizens who make application for appointment to the FMCS 
roster. This obligation is pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 171(b), 29 C.F.R. Part 
1404. This notice is a request to extend the existing form without any 
change in the substance or method of collection.
    Burden Statement: The number of respondents is approximately 250 
individuals per year, the approximate number of individuals who request 
membership on the FMCS Roster. The time required to complete this 
questionnaire is approximately one and one-half hour. Each respondent 
is required to respond only once per application, and once per year for 
updating their biographical sketch.
    Title: Request for Arbitration Services. FMCS Form No. R-43, OMB 
No. 3076-0002; Expiration date: July 31, 1996.
    Affected Entities: Employers and their representatives, employees, 
labor unions and their representatives who request arbitration 
services.
    Abstract: Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. Sec. 171(b) and 29 C.F.R. Part 
1404, FMCS offers panels of arbitrators for selection by labor and 
management to resolve grievances and disagreements arising under their 
collective bargaining agreements and to deal with fact-finding and 
interest arbitration issues as well. The need for this form is to 
obtain information, such as name, address, type of assistance desired, 
so that the FMCS can respond to requests efficiently and effectively to 
provide various arbitration services (e.g. furnishing lists of seven 
arbitrators to parties). The purpose of this information collection is 
to facilitate the processing of the party's request for arbitration 
assistance. No third party notification or public disclosure burden is 
associated with this collection. This notice for comments is to extend 
the current form without any change in the substance or method of 
collection.
    Burden Statement: The current total annual respondent burden 
estimate is that FMCS will receive requests from approximately 27,000 
respondents per year. In most instances, the form is completed only 
once and takes about ten minutes to complete. Thus, the frequency of 
request for an arbitration panel is usually only once.
    Title: Arbitrator's Report and Fee Statement. FMCS Form R-19; OMB 
No. 3076-0003. Expiration date: July 31, 1996.
    Affected Entities: Individual arbitrators who render awards under 
appointment by the FMCS procedures.
    Abstract: Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. Sec. 171(b) and 29 C.F.R. Part 
1404, FMCS assumes a responsibility to monitor the work of the 
arbitrators who serve on its roster. This is satisfied through the 
requirement of a completion of a report and fee statement which 
indicates when the arbitration award was rendered, the file number, the 
company and union, the issues, whether briefs were filed and 
transcripts taken, and the fees and days for services as an arbitrator. 
This information is then contained in the agency's annual report to 
indicate the types of arbitration issues, the average

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or median arbitration fees and days spent on cases, and the timeliness 
of the awards rendered. This notice request is for extension of this 
form with no change in the substance or method of collection.
    Burden Statement: FMCS receives approximately 5,000 responses per 
year. The form is only filled out once and the time required is 
approximately ten minutes. FMCS uses this form to review arbitrator 
conformance with its fee and expense reporting requirements. This data 
is compiled under the individual arbitrator's name and is used to 
provide requesting parties with a panel of arbitrators to meet their 
needs.

II. Request for Comments

    FMCS solicits comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques, 
e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

III. The Public Docket

    The official record is the paper record maintained at the address 
in ADDRESSES at the beginning of this document. FMCS will transfer all 
electronically received comments into printed paper form as they are 
received. This record is available for inspection from 8:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.

List of Subjects

    Arbitration, Information collection requests.

    Dated: April 9, 1996.
Wilma Liebman,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 96-9321 Filed 4-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6372-01-M