(a) Purpose. The purpose of the exclusive representative's response is to inform the Authority and the agency why, despite the agency's arguments in its statement of position, the proposal or provision is within the duty to bargain or not contrary to law, respectively, and whether the exclusive representative disagrees with any facts or arguments in the agency's statement of position.

(b) Time limit for filing. Unless the time limit for filing has been extended pursuant to § 2424.23 or part 2429 of this subchapter, within fifteen (15) days after the date the exclusive representative receives a copy of an agency's statement of position, the exclusive representative must file a response.

(c) Content. You must file your response on a form that the Authority has provided for that purpose, or in a substantially similar format. You meet this requirement if you file your response electronically through use of the eFiling system on the FLRA's website at www.flra.gov. That website also provides copies of response forms. With the exception of severance under paragraph (d) of this section, you must limit your response to the matters that the agency raised in its statement of position. You must date your response, unless you file it electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system. And, regardless of how you file your response, you must ensure that it identifies any disagreement with the agency's bargaining obligation or negotiability claims. You must: State the arguments and authorities supporting your opposition to any agency argument; include specific citation to, and explanation of the relevance of, any law, rule, regulation, section of a collective bargaining agreement, or other authority on which you rely; and provide a copy of any such material that the Authority may not easily access (which you may upload as attachments if you file your response electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system). You are not required to repeat arguments that you made in your petition for review. If not included in the petition for review, then you must state the arguments and authorities supporting your position on all of the relevant bargaining obligation and negotiability matters identified in § 2424.2(a) and (c), respectively.

(d) Severance. The exclusive representative may, of its own accord, accomplish the severance of a previously submitted proposal or provision. To accomplish severance, the exclusive representative must identify the proposal or provision that the exclusive representative is severing and set forth the exact wording of the newly severed portion(s). Further, as part of the exclusive representative's explanation and argument about why the newly severed portion(s) are within the duty to bargain or not contrary to law, the exclusive representative must explain how the severed portion(s) stand alone with independent meaning, and how the severed portion(s) would operate. The explanation and argument in support of the severed portion(s) must meet the same requirements for specific information set forth in paragraph (c) of this section, and must satisfy the exclusive representative's burdens under § 2424.32.

(e) Service. A copy of the response of the exclusive representative, including all attachments, must be served in accord with § 2424.2(g).

[63 FR 66413, Dec. 2, 1998, as amended at 74 FR 51745, Oct. 8, 2009; 77 FR 26434, May 4, 2012; 88 FR 62458, Sept. 12, 2023; 88 FR 69873, Oct. 10, 2023; 88 FR 70579, Oct. 12, 2023; 88 FR 71731, Oct. 18, 2023]