dealing with service contracts, of complaints in accordance with the common carriers engaged in the foreign Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. and domestic offshore commerce of the note prec. 551). United States, or conferences of such Rulemaking The Commission carriers. Special permission applications promulgates rules and regulations to may be submitted for relief from interpret, enforce, and ensure statutory and/or Commission tariff compliance with shipping and related requirements. The Commission monitors statutes by common carriers and other the activities of controlled carriers under persons subject to the statutes. section 9 of the Shipping Act of 1984 Investigation, Audit, and Financial and (46 U.S.C. app. 1708, 1709, 1714). Economic Analyses The Commission Licenses The Commission issues licenses to persons, partnerships, prescribes and administers programs to ensure compliance with the provisions of corporations, or associations desiring to the shipping statutes. These programs engage in ocean freight forwarding include the submission of information; activities. Passenger Indemnity The Commission field investigations and audits of administers the passenger indemnity activities and practices of common provisions of the act of November 6, carriers, conferences, terminal operators, 1966, which require shipowners and freight forwarders, and other persons operators to obtain certificates of subject to the shipping statutes; and rate financial responsibility to pay judgments analyses, studies, and economic reviews for personal injury or death or to refund of current and prospective trade fares in the event of nonperformance of conditions, including the extent and voyages. nature of competition in various trade Informal Complaints The Commission areas. reviews alleged or suspected violations International Affairs The Commission of the shipping statutes and rules and conducts investigations of foreign regulations of the Commission and may governmental and foreign carrier take administrative action to institute practices that adversely affect the U.S. formal proceedings, to refer matters to shipping trade and, in conjunction with other governmental agencies, or to bring the Department of State, conducts about voluntary agreement between the activities to effect the elimination of parties. discriminatory practices on the part of Formal Adjudicatory Procedure The foreign governments against United Commission conducts formal States-flag shipping and to achieve investigations and hearings on its own comity between the United States and its motion and adjudicates formal trading partners. District Offices 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. FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION Director JOHN CALHOUN WELLS 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 reached 30 days in advance of a Activities 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 Mediation Efforts of FMCS mediators are directed toward the establishment of sound and stable labor-management relations on a continuing basis, thereby helping to reduce the incidence of work stoppages. The mediator's basic function is to encourage and promote better dayto-day relations between labor and management, so that issues arising in negotiations may be faced as problems to be settled through mutual effort rather than issues in dispute. For further information, contact the Office of Arbitration The Service, on the joint qualified as neutrals to adjudicate request of employers and unions, will matters in dispute. also assist in the selection of arbitrators For further information, contact the Office of from a roster of private citizens who are Arbitration Services. Phone, 202-606-5111. 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 Chairman Commissioners Chief Administrative Law Judge MARY LU JORDAN JAMES C. RILEY, (VACANCY) 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 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 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM |