dealing with service contracts, of common carriers engaged in the foreign and domestic offshore commerce of the United States, or conferences of such carriers. Special permission applications may be submitted for relief from statutory and/or Commission tariff requirements. The Commission monitors the activities of controlled carriers under section 9 of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S.C. app. 1708, 1709, 1714). Licenses The Commission issues licenses to persons, partnerships, corporations, or associations desiring to engage in ocean freight forwarding activities. Passenger Indemnity The Commission administers the passenger indemnity provisions of the act of November 6, 1966, which require shipowners and operators to obtain certificates of financial responsibility to pay judgments for personal injury or death or to refund fares in the event of nonperformance of voyages. Informal Complaints The Commission reviews alleged or suspected violations of the shipping statutes and rules and regulations of the Commission and may take administrative action to institute formal proceedings, to refer matters to other governmental agencies, or to bring about voluntary agreement between the parties. Formal Adjudicatory Procedure The Commission conducts formal investigations and hearings on its own motion and adjudicates formal complaints in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. note prec. 551). Rulemaking The Commission promulgates rules and regulations to interpret, enforce, and ensure compliance with shipping and related statutes by common carriers and other persons subject to the statutes. Investigation, Audit, and Financial and Economic Analyses The Commission prescribes and administers programs to ensure compliance with the provisions of the shipping statutes. These programs include the submission of information; field investigations and audits of activities and practices of common carriers, conferences, terminal operators, freight forwarders, and other persons subject to the shipping statutes; and rate analyses, studies, and economic reviews of current and prospective trade conditions, including the extent and nature of competition in various trade areas. International Affairs The Commission conducts investigations of foreign governmental and foreign carrier practices that adversely affect the U.S. shipping trade and, in conjunction with the Department of State, conducts activities to effect the elimination of discriminatory practices on the part of foreign governments against United States-flag shipping and to achieve comity between the United States and its trading partners. Maritime Commission Officer in Charge Los Angeles Suite 5170, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802 Sources of Information Oliver E. Clark Andrew Margolis (Vacancy) NW., Washington, DC 20573-0001. Publications The Thirty-fourth Annual Report (1995) is a recent publication of the Federal Maritime Commission. For further information, contact the Office of the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street NW., Washington, DC 20573-0001. Phone, 202–523–5725. Fax, 202–523–0014. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service assists labor and management in resolving disputes in collective bargaining contract negotiation through voluntary mediation and arbitration services; provides training to unions and management in cooperative processes to improve long-term relationships under the Labor Management Cooperation Act of 1978, including Federal sector partnership training authorized by Executive Order 12871; provides alternative dispute resolution services and training to Government agencies, including the facilitation of regulatory negotiations under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act and the Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990; and awards competitive grants to joint labor-management committees to encourage innovative approaches to cooperative efforts. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) was created by the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 172). The Director is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Activities The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service helps prevent disruptions in the flow of interstate commerce caused by labor-management disputes by providing mediators to assist disputing parties in the resolution of their differences. Mediators have no law enforcement authority and rely wholly on persuasive techniques. The Service offers its facilities in labormanagement disputes to any industry affecting interstate commerce, either upon its own motion or at the request of one or more of the parties to the dispute, whenever in its judgment such dispute threatens to cause a substantial interruption of commerce. The Labor Management Relations Act requires that parties to a labor contract must file a dispute notice if agreement is not reached 30 days in advance of a contract termination or reopening date. The notice must be filed with the Service and the appropriate State or local mediation agency. The Service is required to avoid the mediation of disputes that would have only a minor effect on interstate commerce if State or other conciliation services are available to the parties. For further information, contact one of the regional offices listed below. Mediation Efforts of FMCS mediators For further information, contact the Office of Arbitration The Service, on the joint request of employers and unions, will also assist in the selection of arbitrators from a roster of private citizens who are qualified as neutrals to adjudicate For further information, contact the Office of Regional Offices Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service For further information, contact the Office of Public Affairs, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 2100 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20427. Phone, 202-606-8080. Fax, 202-606-4251. FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION 1730 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20006 Phone, 202-653-5625 Chairman Commissioners Chief Administrative Law Judge General Counsel Executive Director Administrative Officer The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is an independent, quasi-judicial agency established by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 801 et seq.). The act, enforced by the Secretary of Labor through the Mine Safety and Health Administration, governs compliance with occupational safety and health standards. in the Nation's surface and underground coal, metal, and nonmetal mines. The Commission consists of five members who are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and who serve staggered, 6year terms. The Chairman is selected from among the Commissioners. The Commission and its Office of Administrative Law Judges are charged with deciding cases brought pursuant to the act by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, mine operators, and MARY LU JORDAN ARLENE HOLEN, MARK L. Marks, JAMES C. RILEY, (VACANCY) PAUL MERLIN NORMAN M. GLEICHMAN RICHARD L. BAKER miners or their representatives. These cases generally involve review of the Administration's enforcement actions including citations, mine closure orders, and proposals for civil penalties issued for violations of the act or the mandatory safety and health standards promulgated by the Secretary of Labor. The Commission also has jurisdiction over discrimination complaints filed by miners or their representatives in connection with their safety and health rights under the act, and over complaints for compensation filed on behalf of miners idled as a result of mine closure orders issued by the Administration. Activities Cases brought before the Commission are assigned to the Office of Administrative Law Judges, and hearings are conducted pursuant to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 554, 556) and the Commission's procedural rules (29 CFR Part 2700). A judge's decision becomes a final but nonprecedential order of the Commission 40 days after issuance unless the Commission has directed the case for review in response to a petition or on its own motion. If a review is conducted, a decision of the Commission becomes final 30 days after issuance unless a party adversely affected seeks review in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia or the Circuit within which the mine subject to the litigation is located. As far as practicable, hearings are held at locations convenient to the affected mines. The Office of Administrative Law Judges has two offices: the Falls Church Office, 2 Skyline, 5203 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041; and the Denver Office, Colonnade Center, Room 280, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Denver, CO 80204. For further information, contact the Executive Director, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Sixth Floor, 1730 K Street NW., Washington DC 20006. Phone, 202-653-5625. FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Twentieth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20551 |