Consolidated Appeals System Considered

The House federal workforce subcommittee has given a skeptical reaction to a plan-not in the form of proposed legislation-to combine the roles of the various federal appeals agencies, including the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Office of Special Counsel, and arbitrators operating under labor-management contracts. Supporters of the idea, which has been floating around the government virtually since those functions were put in separate agencies under the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, argue that the current system is too slow and complex and in some cases is duplicative, discouraging managers from taking action against problem employees.