On March 6, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) promoting the use of Labor-Management Forums and expanding the use of registered apprenticeships to develop the federal workforce.

The EO directs officials from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor, and other agencies to “reduce barriers and create pathways” across the federal workforce for registered apprenticeships. “As the Nation’s largest employer and procurer of goods and services, the Federal Government can be a model for the use and promotion of skills-based hiring, such as the use of Registered Apprenticeships, which reduces barriers to employment and attracts a diverse workforce to meet our Nation’s critical needs,” the EO reads. The EO also promotes and expands the use of RA’s through grants and contracts, building on $95 million in competitive grants through Apprenticeship Building America and $100 million available for State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula Grants.

The EO also reestablishes formal Labor Management Forums (LMFs) across the federal workforce, which ceased in 2017. FMA has been involved in previous forums, most notably holding a seat on the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations under President Obama.

Biden’s March 6 EO creates “joint labor-management committees or councils at the levels of recognition . . . to help identify problems and propose solutions to better serve the public and agency mission.” The forums will allow union representatives to have pre-decisional involvement in workplace matters, discussions about workplace challenge solutions, and consultation on issues related to employee satisfaction, manager satisfaction, and organizational performance.

To view the EO, click here.