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Title 5, Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-102

§7104 Federal Labor Relations Authority

Title 5 › PART III — EMPLOYEES › Subpart F — Labor-Management and Employee Relations › CHAPTER 71 — LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 7104

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Authority has three members. No more than two can be from the same political party. The President picks the members with the Senate’s approval. Each member serves a 5-year term. The President names one member to be Chairman, who runs the agency. Members must not hold other jobs in the federal government unless a law allows it. The President can remove a member only after notice and a hearing, and only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. If a seat is empty, the other members can still act. The Authority must send a yearly report to the President for Congress that lists cases and decisions. The General Counsel is also appointed by the President with Senate approval for 5 years, can be removed at any time, must not hold other federal jobs unless allowed by law, and oversees investigations, complaints, prosecutions, and the General Counsel’s staff.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §7104

Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Federal Labor Relations Authority is composed of three members, not more than 2 of whom may be adherents of the same political party. No member shall engage in any other business or employment or hold another office or position in the Government of the United States except as otherwise provided by law.
(b)Members of the Authority shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and may be removed by the President only upon notice and hearing and only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. The President shall designate one member to serve as Chairman of the Authority. The Chairman is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Authority.
(c)A member of the Authority shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. An individual chosen to fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member replaced. The term of any member shall not expire before the earlier of—
(1)the date on which the member’s successor takes office, or
(2)the last day of the Congress beginning after the date on which the member’s term of office would (but for this paragraph) expire.
(d)A vacancy in the Authority shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the Authority.
(e)The Authority shall make an annual report to the President for transmittal to the Congress which shall include information as to the cases it has heard and the decisions it has rendered.
(f)(1)The General Counsel of the Authority shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of 5 years. The General Counsel may be removed at any time by the President. The General Counsel shall hold no other office or position in the Government of the United States except as provided by law.
(2)The General Counsel may—
(A)investigate alleged unfair labor practices under this chapter,
(B)file and prosecute complaints under this chapter, and
(C)exercise such other powers of the Authority as the Authority may prescribe.
(3)The General Counsel shall have direct authority over, and responsibility for, all employees in the office of General Counsel, including employees of the General Counsel in the regional offices of the Authority.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1984—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–224, § 3(a), inserted provision directing that Chairman be chief executive and administrative officer. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98–224, § 3(b), substituted provision that a member of Authority be appointed for a term of 5 years and an individual chosen to fill a vacancy be appointed for unexpired term of member replaced for provision that one original member of Authority be appointed for a term of 1 year, one for a term of 3 years, and Chairman for a term of 5 years, and thereafter each member be appointed for a term of 5 years.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 90 days after Oct. 13, 1978, see section 907 of Pub. L. 95–454, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1978 Amendment note under section 1101 of this title. Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsection (e) of this section relating to transmittal to Congress of an annual report on cases heard and decisions rendered, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and page 171 of House Document No. 103–7.

Executive Documents

Delegation of Certain Reporting Authority Memorandum of President of the United States, Dec. 8, 2004, 69 F.R. 74935, provided: Memorandum for the Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to the member who has been designated by the President as Chairman the functions conferred upon the President by 5 U.S.C. 7104(e) to provide the specified report to the Congress. You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. George W. Bush.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 7104

Title 5, Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102