IFPTE Applauds President Biden’s Nomination of Suzanne Summerlin for FLRA General Counsel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    

Union Calls Summerlin a “Highly Qualified and Well-Respected Expert on Federal Personnel Policy”

 
WASHINGTON, DC – On Friday, President Biden nominated Suzanne Summerlin to serve as the Federal Labor Relations Authority’s (FLRA) General Counsel.  IFPTE, representing upwards of 25,000 federal employees, issued the following statements applauding Summerlin’s nomination.

IFPTE President Matthew Biggs:

“IFPTE is pleased with President Biden’s nomination of Suzanne Summerlin for the FLRA General Counsel. She is currently Deputy Executive Director and Deputy General Counsel at the Federal Education Association-NEA, and before that was the Associate General Counsel at the National Federation of Federal Employees. Ms. Summerlin has a depth of knowledge and experience with the FLRA Office of the General Counsel’s role in resolving disagreements between federal agencies and federal employees and supporting productive labor-management relations. She understands and appreciates the responsibilities of the office and the importance of the resources that the Office of the General Counsel provides to agencies and to federal employees’ unions. I’m confident she will hit the ground running. IFPTE urges the Senate to act quickly and confirm Suzanne Summerlin for FLRA General Counsel as soon as possible.”

IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson:

“Throughout her career, Suzanne Summerlin has demonstrated she is a highly qualified and well-respected expert on federal personnel policy.  She has distinguished herself through her work on behalf of federal workers. For the sake of healthy and harmonious federal labor relations, it is very important that the Senate prioritize her nomination. Unfortunately, the FLRA has been without a Senate-confirmed General Counsel since January 2017 and the current Acting General Counsel may be unable to serve after this July. IFPTE is proud to support Suzanne Summerlin and advocate for her swift confirmation.”

The FLRA administers the federal labor-relations law impacting nearly 2 million U.S. federal employees worldwide, a million of whom are represented by 2,200 collective bargaining units. 
 

Across the United States and Canada, IFPTE represents 90,000 highly skilled workers in the federal, public, and private sectors. IFPTE is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and the CLC. More information can be found at www.IFPTE.org.

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Download the press statement, “IFPTE Applauds President Biden’s Nomination of Suzanne Summerlin for FLRA General Counsel.”