Acting General Counsel proposes regional office consolidation

 
National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon announced that he is considering a proposal to reorganize four Regional offices as part of an ongoing effort by the Agency to explore ways to restructure its operations in light of new technologies and changing patterns in case intake.
Under the proposal, the Regional Office in Hartford, Connecticut (Region 34) would become a Subregion of the Boston, Massachusetts Regional Office (Region 1), with the Regional Director located in the Boston office.  The Regional Office in Memphis, Tennessee (Region 26) would become a Subregion of the New Orleans, Louisiana Regional Office (Region 15).  The Nashville, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas Resident Offices also would be under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans Region.  The Regional Director would be located in New Orleans.  No offices will be closed under this proposed reorganization.
Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon will thoroughly consider input from Agency staff and from external stakeholders, including practitioners, members of the management-labor relations community, and Members of Congress, before making a final decision whether to present a formal proposal to the Board.  Any permanent structural change would need to be approved by the Board and then move through the federal rulemaking process.
By early fall of 2012, the Acting General Counsel will make a decision about whether to present a formal proposal to the Board regarding this proposal, as well as the previously announced pilot reorganization of Regions 10 and 11 (Atlanta, Georgia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Regions 14 and 17 (Kansas City, Kansas and St. Louis, Missouri), and Region 25 (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Subregion 33 (Peoria, Illinois).  Further restructuring could be proposed in the future.
The Acting General Counsel is interested in any feedback regarding the proposed restructuring.  Comments should be sent to the Associate General Counsel Anne Purcell in the Division of Operations-Management at feedback@nlrb.govor mailed to her at the National Labor Relations Board; Division of Operations-Management;  1099 14th Street NW; Suite 10206; Washington DC 20570.  Comments should be submitted by July 31, 2012.