If voluntary arrangements, including the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or any other third-party mediation, fail to resolve a negotiation impasse:

(a) Either party, or the parties jointly, may request the Panel to consider the matter by filing a request as hereinafter provided; or the Panel may, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 7119(c)(1), undertake consideration of the matter upon request of (i) the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, or (ii) the Executive Director; or

(b) The parties may jointly request the Panel to approve any procedure, which they have agreed to adopt, for binding arbitration of the negotiation impasse by filing a request as hereinafter provided.

A form is available for parties to use in filing either a request for consideration of an impasse or an approval of a binding arbitration procedure. Copies are available on the FLRA's website at www.flra.gov, or from the Office of the Executive Director, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Suite 300, 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20424-0001. Telephone (771) 444-5762. Use of the form is not required, provided that the request includes all of the information set forth in § 2471.3.

(a) A request from a party or parties to the Panel for consideration of an impasse must be in writing and include the following information:

(1) Identification of the parties and individuals authorized to act on their behalf, including their addresses, telephone numbers, and facsimile numbers;

(2) Statement of issues at impasse and the summary positions of the initiating party or parties with respect to those issues; and

(3) Number, length, and dates of negotiation and mediation sessions held, including the nature and extent of all other voluntary arrangements utilized.

(b) A request for approval of a binding arbitration procedure must be in writing, jointly filed by the parties, and include the following information about the pending impasse:

(1) Identification of the parties and individuals authorized to act on their behalf, including their addresses, telephone numbers, and facsimile numbers;

(2) Brief description of the impasse including the issues to be submitted to the arbitrator;

(3) Number, length, and dates of negotiation and mediation sessions held, including the nature and extent of all other voluntary arrangements utilized;

(4) Statement as to whether any of the proposals to be submitted to the arbitrator contain questions concerning the duty to bargain and a statement of each party's position concerning such questions; and

(5) Statement of the arbitration procedures to be used, including the type of arbitration, the method of selecting the arbitrator, and the arrangement for paying for the proceedings or, in the alternative, those provisions of the parties' labor agreement which contain this information.

Requests to the Panel provided for in this part must either be filed electronically through use of the eFiling system on the FLRA's website at www.flra.gov, or be addressed to the Executive Director, Federal Service Impasses Panel, Suite 300, 1400 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20424-0001. All inquiries or correspondence on the status of impasses or other related matters must be submitted by regular mail to the street address above, by using the telephone number (771) 444-5762, or by using the facsimile number (202) 482-6674.

(a) Filing and service of request. (1) Any party submitting a request for Panel consideration of an impasse or a request for approval of a binding arbitration procedure shall file an original and one copy with the Panel, unless the request is filed electronically as discussed below. A clean copy may be submitted for the original. Requests may be submitted in person, electronically through use of the eFiling system on the FLRA's Web site at www.flra.gov, or by registered mail, certified mail, regular mail, or commercial delivery. Requests also may be accepted by the Panel if transmitted to the facsimile machine of its office. A party submitting a request by facsimile shall also file an original for the Panel's records, but failure to do so shall not affect the validity of the filing by facsimile, if otherwise proper.

(2) The party submitting the request shall serve a copy of such request upon all counsel of record or other designated representative(s) of parties, upon parties not so represented, and upon any mediation service which may have been utilized. Service upon such counsel or representative shall constitute service upon the party, but a copy also shall be transmitted to the party. Service of a request may be made in person or by registered mail, certified mail, regular mail, or commercial delivery. With the permission of the person receiving the request, service may be made by electronic or facsimile transmission, or by any other agreed-upon method. When the Panel acts on a request from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or acts on a request from the Executive Director under § 2471.1(a), it will notify the parties to the dispute, their counsel of record, if any, and any mediation service which may have been utilized.

(b) Filing and service of other documents. (1) Any party submitting a response to, or other document in connection with, a request for Panel consideration of an impasse or a request for approval of a binding arbitration procedure shall file an original and one copy with the Panel, with the exception of documents filed simultaneously with the electronic filing of a request through use of the FLRA's eFiling system. Documents may be submitted to the Panel in person or by registered mail, certified mail, regular mail, commercial delivery, or, in the case of documents submitted simultaneously with the electronic filing of a request for Panel assistance, may be uploaded electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system at www.flra.gov. Documents may also be accepted by the Panel if transmitted electronically or to the facsimile machine of the Panel's office, but only with advance permission, which may be obtained by telephone. A party submitting a document by facsimile shall also file an original for the Panel's records, but failure to do so shall not affect the validity of the submission, if otherwise proper.

(2) The party submitting the document shall serve a copy of such request upon all counsel of record or other designated representative(s) of parties, or upon parties not so represented. Service upon such counsel or representative shall constitute service upon the party, but a copy also shall be transmitted to the party. Service of a document may be made in person or by registered mail, certified mail, regular mail, or commercial delivery. With the permission of the person receiving the document, service may be made by electronic or facsimile transmission, or by any other agreed-upon method.

(c) A signed and dated statement of service shall accompany each document submitted to the Panel, unless the document is a request under § 2471.5(a) that is filed electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system. For requests under § 2471.5(a) that are filed electronically through use of the FLRA's eFiling system, the filing party shall certify, in the FLRA's eFiling system and at the time of filing, that copies of the request and any supporting documents have been served as required. The statement of service, however filed, shall include the names of the parties and persons served, their addresses, the date of service, the nature of the document served, and the manner in which service was made.

(d) The date of service or date served shall be the day when the matter served, if properly addressed, is deposited in the U.S. mail or is delivered in person or is deposited with a commercial-delivery service that will provide a record showing the date the document was tendered to the delivery service. Where service is made by electronic or facsimile transmission, the date of service shall be the date of transmission.

(e) Unless otherwise provided by the Panel or its designated representatives, any document or paper filed with the Panel under this section, together with any enclosure filed therewith, shall be typewritten on 8 1/2 × 11 inch plain white paper, shall have margins no less than 1 inch on each side, shall be in typeface no smaller than 10 characters per inch, and shall be numbered consecutively. Nonconforming papers may, at the Panel's discretion, be rejected.

(a) Upon receipt of a request for consideration of an impasse, the Panel or its designee will promptly conduct an investigation, consulting when necessary with the parties and with any mediation service utilized. After due consideration, the Panel shall either:

(1) Decline to assert jurisdiction in the event that it finds that no impasse exists or that there is other good cause for not asserting jurisdiction, in whole or in part, and so advise the parties in writing, stating its reasons; or

(2) Assert jurisdiction and

(i) Recommend to the parties procedures for the resolution of the impasse; and/or

(ii) Assist the parties in resolving the impasse through whatever methods and procedures the Panel considers appropriate. The procedures utilized by the Panel may include, but are not limited to: informal conferences with a Panel designee; factfinding (by a Panel designee or a private factfinder); written submissions; show cause orders; oral presentations to the Panel; and arbitration or mediation-arbitration (by a Panel designee or a private arbitrator). Following procedures used by the Panel, it may issue a report to the parties containing recommendations for settlement prior to taking final action to resolve the impasse.

(b) Upon receipt of a request for approval of a binding arbitration procedure, the Panel or its designee will promptly conduct an investigation, consulting when necessary with the parties and with any mediation service utilized. After due consideration, the Panel shall promptly approve or disapprove the request, normally within five (5) workdays.

When the Panel determines that a factfinding hearing is necessary under § 2471.6, and it appoints one or more of its designees to conduct such hearing, it will issue and serve upon each of the parties a notice of hearing and a notice of prehearing conference, if any. The notice will state:

(a) The names of the parties to the dispute;

(b) The date, time, place, type, and purpose of the hearing;

(c) The date, time, place, and purpose of the prehearing conference, if any;

(d) The name of the designated representatives appointed by the Panel;

(e) The issues to be resolved; and

(f) The method, if any, by which the hearing shall be recorded.

(a) A designated representative of the Panel, when so appointed to conduct a hearing, shall have the authority on behalf of the Panel to:

(1) Administer oaths, take the testimony or deposition of any person under oath, receive other evidence, and issue subpenas;

(2) Conduct the hearing in open, or in closed session at the discretion of the designated representative for good cause shown;

(3) Rule on motions and requests for appearance of witnesses and the production of records;

(4) Designate the date on which posthearing briefs, if any, shall be submitted.

(5) Determine all procedural matters concerning the hearing, including the length of sessions, conduct of persons in attendance, recesses, continuances, and adjournments; and take any other appropriate procedural action which, in the judgment of the designated representative, will promote the purpose and objectives of the hearing.

(b) A prehearing conference may be conducted by the designated representative of the Panel in order to:

(1) Inform the parties of the purpose of the hearing and the procedures under which it will take place;

(2) Explore the possibilities of obtaining stipulations of fact;

(3) Clarify the positions of the parties with respect to the issues to be heard; and

(4) Discuss any other relevant matters which will assist the parties in the resolution of the dispute.

(a) When a report is issued after a factfinding hearing is conducted pursuant to § 2471.7 and 2471.8, it normally shall be in writing and, when authorized by the Panel, shall contain recommendations.

(b) A report of the designated representative containing recommendations shall be submitted to the parties, with two (2) copies to the Executive Director, within a period normally not to exceed thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the transcript or briefs, if any.

(c) A report of the designated representative not containing recommendations shall be submitted to the Panel with a copy to each party within a period normally not to exceed thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the transcript or briefs, if any. The Panel shall then take whatever action it may consider appropriate or necessary to resolve the impasse.

(a) Within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of a report containing recommendations of the Panel or its designated representative, each party shall, after conferring with the other, either:

(1) Accept the recommendations and so notify the Executive Director; or

(2) Reach a settlement of all unresolved issues and submit a written settlement statement to the Executive Director; or

(3) Submit a written statement to the Executive Director setting forth the reasons for not accepting the recommendations and for not reaching a settlement of all unresolved issues.

(b) A reasonable extension of time may be authorized by the Executive Director for good cause shown when requested in writing by either party prior to the expiration of the time limits.

(a) If the parties do not arrive at a settlement as a result of or during actions taken under §§ 2471.6(a)(2), 2471.7, 2471.8, 2471.9, and 2471.10, the Panel may take whatever action is necessary and not inconsistent with 5 U.S.C. chapter 71 to resolve the impasse, including but not limited to, methods and procedures which the Panel considers appropriate, such as directing the parties to accept a factfinder's recommendations, ordering binding arbitration conducted according to whatever procedure the Panel deems suitable, and rendering a binding decision.

(b) In preparation for taking such final action, the Panel may hold hearings, administer oaths, take the testimony or deposition of any person under oath, and issue subpenas as provided in 5 U.S.C. 7132, or it may appoint or designate one or more individuals pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 7119(c)(4) to exercise such authority on its behalf.

(c) When the exercise of authority under this section requires the holding of a hearing, the procedure contained in § 2471.8 shall apply.

(d) Notice of any final action of the Panel shall be promptly served upon the parties, and the action shall be binding on such parties during the term of the agreement, unless they agree otherwise.

Any provisions of the parties' labor agreements relating to impasse resolution which are inconsistent with the provisions of either 5 U.S.C. 7119 or the procedures of the Panel shall be deemed to be superseded, unless such provisions are permitted under 5 U.S.C. 7135.