Federal brief
Approved Initiation of a Voluntary Mediation Program
The Federal Labor Relations Authority approves a voluntary, confidential mediation option, run by FMCS, for negotiability disputes between federal agencies and unions. FR 2026-20820.
Federal unions and agencies that end up before the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) over whether a bargaining proposal can even be negotiated now have another path: sit down with a mediator first.
In a notice published October 13, 2026, the FLRA said it has approved a voluntary mediation program run by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). It covers “negotiability disputes” under section 7117(c) of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. Those cases start when a union files a petition for review after an agency says a union proposal is outside the duty to bargain, or after an agency head disapproves a contract the two sides agreed to or one imposed by the Federal Service Impasses Panel.
How it works. After a union files its petition, the parties can jointly ask for mediation, or the FLRA can refer the case to FMCS. Mediation is confidential and voluntary: either side can say no, or pull out at any time. While the case is with FMCS, the FLRA puts it in abeyance and stops processing it.
If the parties settle the whole dispute, FMCS asks them to tell the FLRA in writing so the appeal can be dismissed. If they don’t settle everything, FMCS notifies the FLRA and the case picks up where it left off. The FLRA says the program is an action under 5 CFR 2424.31(d) and does not conflict with its existing rules.
The order was issued October 7, 2026. Questions go to Thomas Tso, FLRA Solicitor, at (771) 444-5778.
Federal Register filing: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/13/2026-20820/approved-initiation-of-a-voluntary-mediation-program
This is a Notice Nearby publisher-desk Federal brief — a short in-house summary of a public federal filing. It is not official agency minutes, not a newspaper story, and not Legal Publication. It does not satisfy a statutory notice requirement.
Source: the official public federal record 2026-20820 · Federal Register · 2026-20820 · 2026-20820.
This is a Notice Nearby publisher-desk Federal brief — a short in-house summary of a public federal filing. It is not official agency minutes, not a newspaper story, and not Legal Publication. It does not satisfy a statutory notice requirement.