Issues
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) Funding:
The FLRA was voted the worst place to work among smaller agencies in the federal government three years in a row, most recently in 2009. This is no surprise given the steep budget cuts they endured, when the Authority's funding was slashed from $29.6 million in Fiscal Year 2004 (FY04) to $22.6 million in FY09.
Those cuts led to a staff reduction of 184 to 114 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs), and a backlog of cases that looked insurmountable. The Authority even operated without a General Counsel for an astonishing 18 months. In 2009 the backlog of Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) cases was over 340, along with over 800 appeals cases pending. In other words, the FLRA was decimated during that time period.
However, with a new administration also came a slight increase to the FLRA budget. It was just enough to allow the Authority, particularly Office of General Counsel, to accomplish the impossible - eliminate the backlog of pending ULP and appeals cases. In addition, the FLRA is no longer the worst place to work in the federal government.
According to the latest Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey, the FLRA had the most dramatic increase in ranking, going from 34th in 2009 to 20th in 2010, while increasing their overall score 2.5 times. However, considering today's reality of government reorganizations and budget cuts, the President's FY12 FLRA budget submission is lacking.