29 C.F.R. PART 1401—PUBLIC INFORMATION
Title 29 - Labor
Authority: Sec. 202, 61 Stat. 136, as amended; 5 U.S.C. 552.
Source: 40 FR 8169, Feb. 26, 1975, unless otherwise noted.
This subpart contains the regulations of the Service concerning procedures to be followed when a subpoena, order, or other demand of a court or other authority is issued for the production or disclosure of (a) any material contained in the files of the Service; (b) any information relating to material contained in the files of the Service; or (c) any information or material acquired by any person as a part of the performance of his official duties or because of his official status, while such person was an employee of the Service. (a) Public policy and the successful effectuation of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service's mission require that commissioners and employees maintain a reputation for impartiality and integrity. Labor and management or other interested parties participating in mediation efforts must have the assurance and confidence that information disclosed to commissioners and other employees of the Service will not subsequently be divulged, voluntarily or because of compulsion, unless authorized by the Director of the Service. (b) No officer, employee, or other person officially connected in any capacity with the Service, currently or formerly shall, in response to a subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, or other judicial or administrative order, produce any material contained in the files of the Service, disclose any information acquired as part of the performance of his official duties or because of his official status, or testify on behalf of any party to any matter pending in any judicial, arbitral or administrative proceeding, without the prior approval of the Director. (a) Any request for records of the Service, whether it be by letter, by subpoena duces tecum or by any other written demand, shall be handled pursuant to the procedures established in subpart B of this part, and shall comply with the rules governing public disclosure. (b) Whenever any subpoena or subpoena duces tecum calling for production of records or testimony as described above shall have been served upon any officer, employee or other person as noted in §1401.2(b), he will, unless notified otherwise appear in answer thereto, and unless otherwise expressly directed by the Director, respectfully decline to produce or present such records or to give such testimony, by reason of the prohibitions of this section, and shall state that the production of the record(s) involved will be handled by the procedures established in this part. Source: 50 FR 52917, Dec. 27, 1985, unless otherwise noted.
This subpart contains the regulations of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service providing for public access to information from records of the Service. These regulations implement the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and the policy of the FMCS to disseminate information on matters of interest to the public and to disclose on request information contained in agency records insofar as is compatible with the discharge of its responsibilities and the principle of confidentiality and neutrality of dispute resolution by third party neutrals. (a) Except for matters specifically excluded by subsection 552(b) of title 5, United States Code, matters covered by the Privacy Act, or other applicable statutes, all documents and records maintained by this agency or in its custody shall be available to the public upon request filed in accordance with these regulations. To the extent permitted by other laws, the Service also will make available records which it is authorized to withhold under 5 U.S.C. 552(b) whenever it determines that such disclosure is in the public interest. (b) Any document released for inspection under the provisions of this part may be manually copied by the requesting party. The Service shall provide facilities for copying such documents at reasonable times during normal working hours so long as it does not interfere with the efficient operation of the agency. (c) The Service will also publish and maintain a current index, revised quarterly, providing identifying information for the public as to statements of policy and interpretation adopted by the agency and still in force but not published by the (d) Records or documents prepared by the Service for routine public distribution, e.g., pamphlets, speeches, and educational or training materials, will be furnished upon request to the Office of Information, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427, as long as the supply lasts. The provisions of §1401.36 (fees) is not applicable to such requests except when the supply of such material is exhausted and it is necessary to reproduce individual copies upon specific request. (e) All existing FMCS records are subject to routine destruction according to standard record retention schedules. If a record contains both disclosable and nondisclosable information, the nondisclosable information will be deleted and the remaining record will be disclosed unless the two are so inextricably intertwined that it is not feasible to separate them or release of the disclosable information would compromise or impinge upon the nondisclosable portion of the record. (a) Freedom of Information Act and the provisions of this part apply only to existing records that are reasonably described in a request filed with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service pursuant to the procedures established in §§1401.31–1401.36. (b) The Director may, in his or her discretion, prepare new records in order to respond to a request for information when he or she concludes that it is in the public interest and promotes the objectives of the Labor-Management Relations Act, 1947, as amended. Written notices of disputes received by the Service pursuant to sections 8(d)(3), 8(d)(A), 8(g) and 9(c)(1) of the Labor-Management Relations Act, 1947, as amended, or pursuant to 29 CFR 1425.2, are not exempt from disclosure. Parties at interest have the right to receive certified copies of any such notice of dispute upon written request. Requests for copies of notices should be submitted to FMCS, Notice Processing Unit, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427. Requests for inspection or copying of information from records in the custody of the FMCS which are reasonably identifiable and available under the provisions of this part shall be made and acted upon as provided in the following sections of this subpart. The prescribed procedure shall be followed in all cases where access is sought to official records pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, except with respect to records for which a less formal disclosure procedure is provided specifically in this part. (a) Any person who desires to inspect or copy any record covered by this part shall submit a written request to that effect to the Legal Services Office, FMCS, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427. (202) 653–5305. (b) The Legal Services Office will determine what office or division within FMCS is custodian of the records. The Office will then send the request to the appropriate FMCS office or division as provided in §1401.32(b) of this part. (a) All requests for records should be clearly and prominently identified as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, and if submitted by mail or otherwise submitted in an envelope or other cover, should be clearly and prominently identified as such on the envelope or other cover. (b) Upon receipt of a request for records from the FMCS Legal Services Office, the FMCS office or division responding to the request shall enter it in a public log. The log shall state the date and time received, the name and address of person making the request, the nature of the records requested, the action taken on the request, the date of the determination letter sent pursuant to §1401.34 (b) and (d), the date(s) any records are subsequently furnished, the number of staff hours and grade levels of persons who spent time responding to the request, and the payment requested and received. (a) Each request should reasonably describe the records being sought, in a way that they can be identified and located. A request should include all pertinent details that will help identify the records sought. (b) If the description is insufficient, the officer processing the request will so notify the person making the request and indicate the additional information needed. Every reasonable effort shall be made to assist in the identification and location of the records sought. (a) All time limitations established pursuant to this section shall begin as of the time at which a request for records is logged in by the officer or employee processing the request pursuant to §1401.32(b). An oral request for records shall not begin any time requirement. A written request for records sent to an office or division of FMCS other than the one having authority to grant or deny access to the records shall be redirected to the appropriate office for processing, and the time shall begin upon its being logged in there in accordance with §1401.32(b). (b) The officer or employee passing upon the request for records shall, within ten (10) working days following receipt of the request, respond in writing to the requester, determining whether, or the extent to which, the Agency shall comply with the request. (1) If all of the records requested have been located and a final determination has been made with respect to disclosure of all the records requested, the response shall so state. (2) If all of the records have not been located or a final determination has not been made with respect to disclosure of all records requested, the response shall state the extent to which the records involved will be disclosed pursuant to the rules established in this part. (3) If the request is expected to involve an assessed fee in excess of $50.00, the response shall specify or estimate the fee involved and shall require prepayment before the records are made available. (4) Whenever possible, the response relating to a request for records that involves a fee of less than $50.00, shall be accompanied by the requested records. Where this is not possible, the records shall be forwarded as soon as possible thereafter, consistent with other obligations of the Agency. (c) In the following circumstances, the time for passing upon the request may be extended for up to an additional 10 working days by written notice to the person making the request, setting forth the reasons for such extension and the time within which a determination is expected to be made: (1) The need to search for and collect the requested records from the field facilities or other establishments that are separate from the office processing the request; (2) The need to search for, collect and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of records which are demanded in a single request; or (3) The need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another agency having a substantial interest in the determination of the request or among two or more components of the Agency having substantial subject matter interest therein. (b) If any request for records is denied in whole or in part, the response required by paragraph (b) of this section shall notify the requester of the denial. Such denial shall specify the reason therefor and also advise that the denial may be appealed to the Office of Deputy Director of the Agency as specified in §1401.35. (a) Whenever any request for records is denied, a written appeal may be filed with the Deputy Director, FMCS, 2100 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20427, within 30 days after requester receives notification that the request has been denied or after the requester receives any records being made available, in the event of partial denial. The appeal shall state the grounds for appeal, including any supporting statements or arguments. (b) Final action on the appeal shall be taken within 20 working days from the time of receipt of the appeal. Where novel and complicated questions have been raised or unusual difficulties have been encountered, the Deputy Director may extend the time for final action up to an additional 10 days, depending upon whether there had been an extension pursuant to §1401.34(c) at the initial stage. In such cases, the applicant shall be notified in writing of the reasons for the extension of time and the approximate date on which a final response will be forthcoming. (c) If on appeal the denial of the request for records is upheld in whole or in part, the Deputy Director shall notify the applicant of the reasons therefor, and shall advise the requester of the provisions for judicial review under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) (4) and (6). (a) Definitions. For purposes of §1401.36, the following definitions apply: (1) Direct costs means those expenditures which are actually incurred in searching for and duplicating and, in the case of commercial use requesters, reviewing to respond to a FOIA request. (2) Search includes all time spent looking for material that is responsive to a request, including page-by-page and line-by-line identification of material within documents. Searches may be done manually or by computer. (3) Duplication refers to the process of making a copy of a document necessary to respond to a FOIA request. Copies may be in various forms including machine readable documentation (e.g. magnetic tape or disk) among others. The copy provided shall be in a form that is reasonably usable by the requester. (4) Review refers to the process of examining documents located in response to a request that is for commercial use, to determine whether a document or any portion of any document located is permitted to be withheld. It includes processing any documents for disclosure to the requester, e.g., doing all that is necessary to excise them or otherwise prepare them for release. (5) Commercial use request refers to a request from or on behalf of one who seeks information for a use or purpose that furthers the commercial trade or profit interest of the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made. (6) Educational institution refers to a preschool, a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of undergraduate higher education, an institution of graduate or professional education or an institution of vocational education, which operates a program or programs of scholarly research. (7) Representative of the news media refers to any person actively gathering news for an entity that is organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public. The term “news” means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public. In the case of “freelance” journalists, they may be regarded as working for a news organization if they can demonstrate a reasonable expectation of publication through the organization, even though not actually employed by it. (8) Non-commercial scientific institution refers to an institution that is not operated on a commercial basis as defined under “commercial use request” in paragraph (a)(5) of this section, and which is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry. (b) Fee schedules and waivers. Requests submitted shall be subject to direct costs, including search, duplication and review, in accordance with the following schedules, procedures and conditions. (1) Schedule of charges—(i) Clerical time. For each one-quarter hour or portion thereof of clerical time, $2.25. (ii) Professional time. For each one-quarter hour or portion thereof of professional time, $7.00. (iii) Duplication. For each sheet of duplication (not to exceed 8 (iv) Computer time. For computer time, $3.00 per minute of time expended for production programming, searching and production of any record. Computer time expressed in fractions of minutes will be rounded to the next whole minute. (v) Certification or authorization of records. The fee per certification or authentication is $2.00. (vi) Forwarding material to destination. No charge will be assessed for ordinary packaging and mailing costs. The FMCS may assess a charge if compliance with the request requires special handling procedures such as express mail or other unusual procedures. Such charges will be made on the basis of actual costs. (vii) Other costs. All other direct costs of preparing a response to a request shall be charged to requester in the same amount as incurred by FMCS. Charges may also be assessed for searches even if the records requested are not found, or the records are determined to be exempted from disclosure. (2) Rules of construction. (i) In providing the foregoing the schedules pursuant to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4)(A), it is the intent of FMCS to apply 29 CFR part 70 and the user charge statute, 31, U.S.C. 9701, to cover those situations in which the Agency is performing for a requester services which are not required under the Freedom of Information Act. (ii) For those matters coming within the scope of this regulation, the FMCS will look to the provisions of the guidance published by the Office of Management and Budget (52 FR 10012, March 27, 1987) and the Department of Justice (Attorney General's memorandum on the 1986 Amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, December 1987) for making such interpretations as may be necessary. (3) Fee categories. Fees shall be determined in accordance with the following categories of requesters. (i) Commercial use requesters will be assessed charges to recover the full direct cost of searching for, reviewing for release, and duplicating the records sought. This includes the full direct costs of computer production programming, searching and production of records. Commercial use requesters are not entitled to 2 hours of free search time nor 100 free pages of reproduction of documents, as described below. (ii) Educational and non-commercial scientific institution requesters will be assessed charges for the cost of duplication alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages. To be eligible for inclusion in this category, requesters must show that the request is being made under the auspices of a qualifying institution pursuant to the criteria in paragraphs (a)(6) and (a)(8) of this section, and that the records are not sought for commercial use, but are sought in furtherance of scholarly or scientific research. (iii) Requesters who are representatives of the news media will be assessed charges for the cost of duplication alone, excluding charges for the first 100 pages. To be eligible for inclusion in this category, a requester must meet the criteria in paragraph (a)(7) of this section, and the request must not be made for a commercial use. A request for records supporting the news dissemination function of the requester shall not be considered to be a request that is for commercial use. (iv) All other requesters will be assessed charges to recover the full reasonable direct costs of searching for and reproducing records that are responsive to the request, including costs of computer production programming, searching and production, except that the first 100 pages of reproduction, and the first 2 hours of search time shall be furnished without charge. (v) In no event shall fees be charged when the total charges are less than $50.00, which is the Agency cost of collecting and processing the fee itself. (4) Waiver or reduction of charge. Documents are to be furnished without charge or at reduced levels if disclosure of the information is in the public interest; that is, because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the Government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. (c) Fee payments. (1) Payments shall be made by check or money order payable to “Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service” and shall be sent to: Director, Financial Management Staff, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 2100 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20427. (2) If a requester fails to pay chargeable fees that were incurred as a result of this Agency's processing of the information request, the Agency beginning on the 31st day following the date on which the notification of charges was sent, may assess interest charges against the requester in the manner prescribed in 31 U.S.C. 37l7. (3) The Agency may use the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 1982, (Pub. L. 97–365, 29 CFR part 1450) including disclosure to consumer reporting agencies, for the purpose of obtaining payment. (d) Advance payments. FMCS may require a requester to make an advance payment of anticipated fees under the following circumstances: (1) If the anticipated charges are likely to exceed $250, FMCS may notify the requestor of the likely cost and obtain satisfactory assurance of full payment when the requester has a history of prompt payment of FOIA fees, or require an advance payment of an amount up to the full estimated charges in the case of requesters with no history of payments. (2) If a requester has previously failed to pay fees that have been charged in processing a request, within 30 days of the date when the notification of fees was sent, the requester may be required to: (i) Pay the entire amount of fees that are owed, plus any applicable interest as provided for in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, and (ii) To make an advance payment of the full amount of the estimated fee before the Agency will process the new pending request. [55 FR 17602, Apr. 26, 1990] The Office of the Director shall annually, within 60 days following the close of each calendar year, prepare a report covering each of the categories or records to be maintained in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(d) for such calendar year and shall forthwith submit the same to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress.
Title 29: Labor
PART 1401—PUBLIC INFORMATION
Section Contents
§ 1401.1 Purpose and scope.
§ 1401.2 Production of records or testimony by FMCS employees.
§ 1401.3 Procedure in the event of a demand for production, disclosure, or testimony.
§ 1401.20 Purpose and scope.
§ 1401.21 Information policy.
§ 1401.22 Partial disclosure of records.
§ 1401.23 Preparation of new records.
§ 1401.24 Notices of dispute are public.
§ 1401.30 Applicability of procedures.
§ 1401.31 Filing a request for records.
§ 1401.32 Logging of written requests.
§ 1401.33 Description of information requested.
§ 1401.34 Time for processing requests.
§ 1401.35 Appeals from denials of request.
§ 1401.36 Freedom of Information Act fee schedules.
§ 1401.37 Annual report.
Subpart A—Information in Response to Subpoenas
top
§ 1401.1 Purpose and scope.
top
§ 1401.2 Production of records or testimony by FMCS employees.
top
§ 1401.3 Procedure in the event of a demand for production, disclosure, or testimony.
top
Subpart B—Production or Disclosure of Information
top
§ 1401.20 Purpose and scope.
top
§ 1401.21 Information policy.
top
§ 1401.22 Partial disclosure of records.
top
§ 1401.23 Preparation of new records.
top
§ 1401.24 Notices of dispute are public.
top
§ 1401.30 Applicability of procedures.
top
§ 1401.31 Filing a request for records.
top
§ 1401.32 Logging of written requests.
top
§ 1401.33 Description of information requested.
top
§ 1401.34 Time for processing requests.
top
§ 1401.35 Appeals from denials of request.
top
§ 1401.36 Freedom of Information Act fee schedules.
top
§ 1401.37 Annual report.
top
