Senate Confirms FMCS Director

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Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Aug 14, 2020, 15:02 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Senate confirmed President Trump's nomination of Richard Giacolone as Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in a voice vote on Aug. 13.

Director Giacolone was appointed by President Trump to serve as the Acting Director of FMCS in June 2018 and received his original nomination in April 2019.

Director Giacolone began his mediation career at FMCS in the Chesapeake, Virginia field office in 1995. He was the former Director of the FMCS International/ADR Department and Special Assistant to the Director of FMCS. Prior to receiving his commission with FMCS, Director Giacolone was Labor Relations Advisor for the Department of the Navy and has an extensive background in labor relations representing management.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be confirmed by the Senate as FMCS' director," Giacolone said. "I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to lead this indispensable agency and am eager to carry on our mission in preventing and resolving workplace conflict during a time when labor and management issues are at such a critical point."

In the two years he has led the Agency, Director Giacolone has reorganized the Agency structure and has implemented a variety of initiatives to modernize the Agency, better equipping it to handle current challenges and cases. Under his leadership, FMCS has expanded its core work as it relates to services provided under congressional authorizations such as the Administrative Dispute Resolution Acts (ADRAs) of 1990 and 1996 and other statutes in which FMCS is named as the provider of third-party neutral services. Director Giacolone also leads the Agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of great uncertainty, where he has greatly expanded the virtual capabilities of the Agency, leading to a seamless transition with no disruption in services to FMCS customers.

"One of my visions is to see FMCS work in a more robust and engaging way in the federal sector. For example, we signed an agreement last April with the EEOC to mediate formal complaints pending hearing at the Administrative Judge level. At the request of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, we agreed to provide ADR services in connection with negotiability disputes," Giacolone added. "We also signed an agreement with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to mediate its backlog of EEO cases in Boston, Washington DC and Atlanta, and will soon modify that agreement to expand nationwide. As further examples, we have assumed the administration of the Shared Neutrals program in the National Capital area, relaunched ADR.gov website to assist federal agencies in developing and implementing ADR programs, and successfully assisted the US Dept. of Transportation and the 574 federally recognized Native American Tribes in their recent negotiated rulemaking process establishing tribal transportation self-governance. I am so proud of our Agency's progress."

During his quarter-century FMCS career, Director Giacolone mediated thousands of domestic labor and employment cases, comprising many cases of national significance, ranging from labor disputes involving multiple symphonies and orchestras, to bus and transportation disputes, and scores of cases involving shipbuilding and repair industries with national impact. Most recently, Director Giacolone helped to bring an end to a lengthy strike at Bath Iron Works in Maine. He has also mediated numerous significant collective bargaining agreements covering nationwide bargaining units in the federal sector. Director Giacolone led the Agency's transition assistance mission during the transfer of the Panama Canal to the Republic of Panama, and his additional international work at FMCS includes both mediation and the development and delivery of dispute resolution programs in more than a dozen other countries.

Among his professional honors, Director Giacolone was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for his contributions to the Department of Navy Labor and Employee Relations program, and the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award. He was elected National President of the Society of Federal Labor and Employee Relations Professionals.

Director Giacolone holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Psychology and a Master of Public Administration degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. He has served on the faculty and regularly lectured at several universities on topics such as collective bargaining and arbitration.

The U.S. Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) is the nation's premier public agency for dispute resolution and conflict management. FMCS was created by Congress as a neutral and independent government agency upon enactment of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Act) and mandated to resolve industrial conflict and promote labor-management peace and cooperation, minimizing the impact of these disputes on the free flow of commerce. With headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices across the country, the agency has a proud track record of decades of effective dispute resolution and conflict management services for employers and unions across industries and work activities in the private, public, and federal sectors. FMCS is also recognized for its success facilitating negotiated rulemaking processes and for its robust employment mediation program in the federal sector as well as its global program, partnering with more than 60 countries to provide international consulting and training. For more on FMCS or to request services, visit www.fmcs.gov

SOURCE Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service