FLRA Announces Key Nominations by President Obama
June 26, 2009
Carol Waller Pope, Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) announces that, on June 4, 2009, President Obama nominated Ernie DuBester as a Member of the FLRA, and Julia A. Clark as the General Counsel of the FLRA. Chairman Pope expressed her pleasure at the prospect that these positions will be filled following Senate confirmation by individuals with such a wealth of experience in labor-management relations and dispute resolution.
Ernie DuBester has 35 years of experience in labor-management relations. Nominated by President Clinton, Mr. DuBester served as Chairman and Member of the National Mediation Board (NMB) from 1993-2001. He began his career at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) serving as counsel to former Chairman and Member John Fanning. He also served as a Union attorney with the firm of Highsaw & Mahoney, and as legislative counsel to the AFL-CIO. In addition, Mr. DuBester served as Professor and Director of the Dispute Resolution Program at George Mason University School of Law. He previously taught collective bargaining and arbitration at the Catholic University of America School of Law. Since July of 2005, he has worked as a mediator at the NMB. Mr. DuBester received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, his law degree from the Catholic University of America School of Law, where he was Recent Developments Editor of the Law Review, and his Masters of Law in Labor Law from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Julia A. Clark, currently serves as General Counsel of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO. She received her J.D. in 1980 from the American University, Washington College of Law, and her B.A. in 1977 from Oklahoma Baptist University. She started her legal career as an Honors Program trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. For the past 20 years she has practiced labor and employment law on behalf of unions and workers and before Federal courts and agencies, including the FLRA, the NLRB, the NMB and the Personnel Appeals Board of the General Accountability Office.
The FLRA is an independent agency that administers the labor-management relations program for 1.9 million non-Postal Federal employees worldwide, approximately 1.1 million of whom are exclusively represented in 2,200 bargaining units. It is charged with providing leadership in establishing policies and guidance related to Federal sector labor-management relations and with resolving disputes under and ensuring compliance with the Federal Service Labor-Management relations Statute.