Labor Management Relations

The mission of Labor Management Relations (LMR) is to promote labor-management cooperation throughout the Department to enable VA’s unions and management officials to work as partners in improving the delivery of service to veterans and their families and in creating a positive work environment for employees.

• Formulates Department-wide labor relations strategies, policies and programs to ensure the Department’s bargaining obligations, collaborative labor relations goals, and training goals are accomplished.
• Oversee all National negotiations for five national unions within the VA.
• Ensure labor-management relations programs are consistent with all applicable laws, regulations, Presidential Executive Orders (EO), and collective bargaining agreements.
• Provide leadership in maintaining effective labor-management relations at all levels of the Organization.
• Serve as subject matter experts (SMEs) to customers on labor relations matters, specifically interpretation of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (Title 5, United States Code, Chapter 71) and collective bargaining agreements between the Department and the unions.
• Develop and deliver joint labor-management and management only labor relations training.
• Maintain an atmosphere of partnership by managing and co-chairing the VA’s National Partnership Council (NPC).