Law Commons^™

Union Must Provide Attorney Representation Without Regard To Union Membership--National Treasury Employees Union V. Federal Labor Relations Authority, Beth Cohen

Faculty Scholarship

The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute sets forth union guidelines for collective bargaining representation in the federal sector. A labor organization with recognized exclusivity is responsible for the non-discriminatory representation of all bargaining unit employees without regard to union membership. In National Treasury Employees Union v. Federal Labor Relations Authority, a case of first impression, the court considered whether a federal employees union may, in accordance with statutory obligations, consider union membership in determining the type of representation it provides to individual employees. The court held that by denying non-union members attorney representation and substituting representation by a shop steward …