SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. OMB may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's ability to perform its statutory obligations. The NMB publishes that notice containing proposed information collection requests prior to submission of these requests to OMB. Each proposed information collection contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g. new, revision extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Record keeping burden. OMB invites public comment.

Currently, the NMB is soliciting comments concerning the proposed reinstatement, with non-substantive change, of a previously approved collection of information, entitled “Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute,” and is interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the agency; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the agency enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the agency minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Title of Collection: Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute.

OMB Control Number: 3140-0001.

Type of Review: Reinstatement, with non-substantive change, of a previously approved collection of information.

Affected Public: Carrier and Union Officials, and employees of railroads and airlines.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 25 annually.

Burden Hours: 6.25.

1. Abstract: When a dispute arises among a carrier's employees as to who will be their bargaining representative, the NMB is required by Section 2, Ninth of the Railway Labor Act (RLA), 45 U.S.C. 152, Ninth, to investigate the dispute, to determine who is the authorized representative, if any, and to certify such representative. The NMB's duties do not arise until its services have been invoked by a party to the dispute. The RLA is silent as to how the invocation of a representation dispute is to be accomplished and the NMB has not promulgated regulations requiring any specific vehicle. Nonetheless, 29 CFR 1203.2, provides that applications for the services of the NMB under Section 2, Ninth, to investigate representation disputes may be made on printed forms secured from the NMB's Office of Legal Affairs or on the internet at www.nmb.gov. The application requires the following information: the name of the carrier involved; the name or description of the craft or class involved; the name of the petitioning organization or individual; the name of the organization currently representing the employees, if any; the names of any other organizations or representatives involved in the dispute; and the estimated number of employees in the craft or class involved. This basic information is essential in providing the NMB with the details of the dispute so that it can determine what resources will be required to conduct an investigation.

2. The application form provides necessary information to the NMB so that it can determine the amount of staff and resources required to conduct an investigation and fulfill its statutory responsibilities. Without this information, the NMB would have to delay the commencement of the investigation, which is contrary to the intent of the RLA.

3. There is no improved technological method for obtaining this information. The burden on the parties is minimal in completing the Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute.

4. There is no duplication in obtaining this information.

5. Rarely are representation elections conducted for small businesses. Employers are not permitted to request our services regarding representation investigations. The labor organizations, which are the typical requesters, are national in scope and would not qualify as small businesses. Even in situations where the invocation comes from a small labor organization, we believe the burden in completing the application form is minimal and that no reduction in burden could be made.

6. The NMB is required by Section 2, Ninth, to investigate the dispute, to determine who is the authorized representative, if any, and to certify such representative. The NMB has no ability to control the frequency, technical, or legal obstacles, which would reduce the burden.

7. The information requested by the NMB is consistent with the general information collection guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.6 and 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3). The NMB has no ability to control the data provided or timing of the invocation. The burden on the parties is minimal in completing the Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute.

8. No payments or gifts have been provided by the NMB to any respondents of the form.

9. There are no questions of a sensitive nature on the form.

10. The total time burden on respondents is 6.25 hours annually—this is the time required to collect information. After consulting with a sample of people involved with the collection of this information, the time to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including gathering the data needed and completion and review of the information.

Number of respondents per year: 25.

Estimated time per respondent: 15 minutes.

Total Burden hours per year: 6.25. (25 × .25 hours)

11. The total collection and mail cost burden on respondents is estimated at $222.00 annually ($201.50 time cost burden + $20.50 mail cost burden.)

a. The respondents will not incur any capital costs or start up costs for this collection.

b. Cost burden on respondents—detail: ( printed page 58714)

The total time burden annual cost is $201.50.

Time Burden Basis: The total hourly burden per year, upon respondents, is 6.25.

Staff cost = $201.50.

$32.24 per hour—based on mid level clerical salary

$32.24 × 6.25 hours per year = $201.50

We are estimating that a mid-level clerical person, with an average salary of $32.24 per hour, will be completing the Application for Investigation of Representation Dispute form. The total burden is estimated at 6.25 hours, therefore, the total time burden cost is estimated at $201.50 per year.

The total annual mailing cost to respondents is $20.50.

Number of applications mailed by

Respondents per year: 25.

Total estimated cost: $20.50 (25 × $.82 stamp).

The collection of this information is not mandatory; it is a voluntary request from airline and railroad carrier employees seeking to invoke an investigation of a representation dispute. After consulting with a sample of people involved with the collection of this information, the time to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including gathering the data needed and completion and review of the information. However, the estimated hour burden costs of the respondents may vary due to the complexity of the specific question in dispute.

The application form is available from the NMB's Office of Legal Affairs and is also available on the internet at www.nmb.gov, which is the primary source of the form.

12. The total annualized Federal cost is $340.00. This cost represents the processing cost of the applications once they are received by the NMB. There are no printing or mailing costs. (The NMB has not received any requests to print and mail a form for a number of years.) The completed applications are maintained by the Office of Legal Affairs.

a. Processing Cost = $340.00.

Basis (processing cost): Representation is requested approximately 25 times per year and it takes approximately 20 minutes to process each application.

Staff Cost = $340.00

$.68 per minute (GS 11 Step 1 base hourly rate of $40.94 per hr. ÷ 60)

$.68 × 20 minutes per mailing = $13.60

$13.60 × 25 times per year = $340.00

13. Item 13—no change in annual reporting and recordkeeping hour burden.

14. The information collected by the application will not be published.

15. The NMB will display the OMB expiration date on the form.

16(a)—the form does not reduce the burden on small entities; however, the burden is minimized and voluntary.

16(b)—the form does not indicate the retention period for record keeping requirements.

16(c)—not applicable, the form is not part of a statistical survey.

91 FR 58712