2004 FOIA Annual Report

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT ANNUAL REPORT

FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004

October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004

The Department received a total of 21,833 initial requests for records during fiscal year 2004. 

I.    Basic Information Regarding Report

A. For questions concerning this report, please contact Miriam McD. Miller, Co-counsel for Administrative Law, Office of the Solicitor, Room N-2428, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.  20210, telephone number (202) 693-5522.

B. The electronic address for this report is on the World Wide Web at http://www.dol.gov/dol/foia/main.htm.

C. You may obtain a paper copy of this report by writing to Ms. Miller at the above address.

II.    How to Make a FOIA Request

The Department of Labor is organized into divisions and agencies often referred to as "components".  Within the Labor Department, each component processes its own FOIA requests.  Therefore, a request will receive the fastest possible response if it is addressed directly to the disclosure officer for the component that a requester believes has the records. 

Requesters who cannot determine the proper disclosure officer to which the request should be addressed may direct the request to the Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S-1521, Washington, D.C. 20210.

A.  The following list contains the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the individual agency components and offices in the national office.  Unless otherwise specified, the mailing address for the following national office components is as follows:

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Room SL-33

Washington, DC  20210

 1.  Office of the Secretary of Labor, tel. (202) 693-7277.

 2.  Office of the Solicitor of Labor, tel. (202) 693-5522.

 3.  Office of the Administrative Law Judges, 800 K Street, N.W., Suite N-400,

      Washington, D.C.  20001-8002, tel. (202) 693-7440.

 4.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management,

      tel. (202) 693-7277.

 5.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs,

      tel. (202) 693-4630.

 6.  Office of the Inspector General, tel. (202) 693-5113.

 7.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, tel. (202) 693-5082.

 8.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, tel. (202) 693-4654.

 9.  Bureau of International Labor Affairs, tel. (202) 693-4790.

10.  Bureau of Labor Statistics, Postal Square Building, Room 4040,

       2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212-0001, tel. (202) 691-7628.

11.  Employment Standards Administration, tel. (202) 693-0256.

12.  Employment and Training Administration, tel. (202) 693-3140.

13.  Mine Safety and Health Administration, 1100 Wilson Boulevard, 21st Floor,

       Arlington, Virginia  22209, tel. (202) 693-9424.

14.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration, tel. (202) 693-1897.

15.  The Office of Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy, tel. (202) 693-4930.

16.  Employee Benefits Security Administration, formerly known as the Pension and Welfare

       Benefits Administration, tel. (202) 693-8655.

17.  Office of the Chief Financial Officer, tel. (202) 693-6806.

18.  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training,

       tel. (202) 693-4745.

19.  Employees' Compensation Appeals Board, tel. (202) 693-5028.

20.  Office of Adjudicatory Services, tel. (202) 693-5028.

21.  Benefits Review Board, tel. (202) 693-5028.

22.  The Office of Small Business Programs, tel. (202) 693-6474.

23.  Women's Bureau, tel. (202) 693-6735.

The heads of the foregoing components shall make available for inspection and copying, in accordance with the provisions of the FOIA, records in their custody or in the custody of component units within their organizations, either directly or through their authorized representative in particular offices and locations.

The addresses and telephone numbers for the various regional offices are presented below.  The telephone number which is listed is for the Department's Office of Administration and Management (OASAM) for that region.  That office can provide the requester with a more specific telephone number for the respective component.  Unless otherwise specified, the mailing address for these regional offices by region, shall be:

Region I:

U.S. Department of Labor

John F. Kennedy Federal Building

One Congress Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02203

Telephone:  (617) 565-1991

             (For Wage and Hour only:  Contact Region III)

Region II:

U.S. Department of Labor

201 Varick Street

New York, New York 10014

Telephone:  (212) 337-2215

(For Wage and Hour only:  Contact Region III)

Region III

U.S. Department of Labor

The Curtis Center, Suite 600 East

170 S. Independence Mall West

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  19106-3305

Telephone:  (215) 861-5030

Region IV:

U.S. Department of Labor      

Atlanta Federal Center

61 Forsyth Street, S.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Telephone:  (404) 562-2018

(OWCP Only)

U.S. Department of Labor

214 N. Hogan Street, Suite 1006

Jacksonville, Florida  32202   

Telephone:  (904) 357-4725

Region V:

U.S. Department of Labor

Kluczynski Federal Building

230 South Dearborn Street

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Telephone:  (312) 353-8373

(FECA only)

U.S. Department of Labor

1240 East Ninth Street, Room 851

Cleveland, Ohio  44199         

Telephone:  (216) 357-5372

Region VI:

U.S. Department of Labor

525 Griffin Square Building

Griffin & Young Streets

Dallas, Texas  75202

Telephone:  (214) 767-6800

Region VII:

U.S. Department of Labor

City Center Square Building

1100 Main Street

Kansas City, Missouri  64105-2112

Telephone:  (816) 426-3891

(For Wage and Hour only:  Contact Region V)

(OFCCP only)

U.S. Department of Labor

1100 Main Street, Suite 860

Kansas City, Missouri 64105 

Telephone:  (816) 502-0370

Region VIII:

U.S. Department of Labor

1999 Broadway

Denver, Colorado  80202

Telephone:  (303) 844-1700

(For Wage and Hour and OFCCP:  Contact Region VI)

(OWCP only)

U.S. Department of Labor

1999 Broadway, Suite 600

Denver, Colorado  80201      

Telephone:  (720) 264-3038

The mailing address for the Director of the Regional Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training in Region VIII is:

Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training

U.S. Custom House

721 ‑ 19th Street, Room 465

Denver, Colorado  80202

Telephone:  (303) 844-4791

Region IX:

U.S. Department of Labor

71 Stevenson Street

San Francisco, California  94105

Telephone:  (415) 975-4057

U.S. Department of Labor

1111 Third Avenue

Seattle, Washington  98101-3212

Telephone:  (415) 975-4057

(For Wage and Hour:  Contact San Francisco)

B.  Agency response-time.

The agency's response-time ranges generally from five to fifty days.  Complex requests usually take more time.

C.  Why some requests are not granted.  

A FOIA request can be made for any agency record.  This does not mean, however, that the Labor Department will disclose every record sought.  There are statutory exemptions that authorize the withholding of certain information.  In addition, the agency cannot comply with a FOIA request if there are no responsive records.

              Another reason for not granting a FOIA request is that the FOIA does not require agencies to do research for the requester, to analyze data, to answer questions, or to create records in order to respond to a FOIA request.

III.    Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used in the Report

(To be included in each report)

A.  Agency-specific acronyms or other terms.

B.  Basic terms, expressed in common terminology.

1.  FOIA/PA request--Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act request.  A FOIA request is generally a request for access to records concerning a third party, an organization, or a particular topic of interest.  A Privacy Act request is a request for records concerning oneself; such requests are also treated as FOIA requests.  (All requests for access to records, regardless of which law is cited by the requester, are included in this report.)

2.  Initial Request--a request to a federal agency for access to records under the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act.

3.  Appeal--a request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act, or any other FOIA determination such as a matter pertaining to fees.

4.  Processed Request or Appeal--a request or appeal for which an agency has taken a final action on the request or the appeal in all respects.

5.  Multi-track processing--a system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are placed in one or more other tracks.  Requests in each track are processed on a first-in/first-out basis.  A requester who has an urgent need for records may request expedited processing (see below).

6.  Expedited processing--an agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis when a requester has shown an exceptional need or urgency for the records which warrants giving priority to his or her request over other requests that were made earlier.

7.  Simple request--a FOIA request that an agency using multi-tracking processing places in its fastest (nonexpedited) track based on the volume and/or simplicity of records requested.

8.  Complex request--a FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in a slower track based on the volume and/or complexity of records requested.

9.  Grant--an agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.

10.  Partial grant--an agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA request, deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entireties, but to withhold others in whole or in part.

11.  Denial--an agency decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to a FOIA request because all the information in the requested record is determined by the agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions, or for some procedural reason (such as because no record is located in response to a FOIA request).

12.  Time limits--the time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a perfected FOIA request).

13.  A Perfected request--a FOIA request for records which adequately describes the records sought, which has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component in possession of the records, and for which there is no remaining question about the payment of applicable fees.

14.  Exemption 3 statute--a separate federal statute prohibiting the disclosure of a certain type of information and authorizing its withholding under FOIA subsection (b)(3).

15.  Median number--the middle, not average, number.  For example, of  3, 7, and 14, the median number is 7.

16.  Average number--the number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by the quantity of numbers in the group.  For  example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average is 8.

IV.    Exemption 3 Statutes

              A. List of Exemption 3 statutes relied on by this agency during fiscal year 2004.

1.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration withheld 

      the disclosure of advance notice of safety inspections under the

      authority of section 17(f) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

      (29U.S.C. 666(f)).  The use of this statute has not been litigated.

2.  The Office of Labor-Management Standards invoked section 304(a) of the

Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA) (29

U.S.C. 464(a)) to protect the identity of a complainant in a

trusteeship investigation.  The use of this statute has not been litigated. 

This office also withheld grand jury material pursuant to Rule 6(e) of

the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.  The use of this statute was upheld   

by a court in the case of Senate of Puerto Rico v. United States Department of

Justice, 823 F. 2d 574 (D.C.Cir.1987).      

 3.  The Mine Safety and Health Administration withheld the names of

      miners, who requested safety inspections, pursuant to the Federal Mine

      Safety and Health Act of 1977, section 103(g)(1) (30 U.S.C.813(g)(1)).

      It also withheld information to protect the confidentiality of coal mine

      maps pursuant to section 312(b) of the statute (30 U.S.C. 872(b)).  The use of  

      this statute has not been litigated.

 4.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics withheld confidential business data and

       other information pursuant to the authority of the Confidential Information

       Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA)(44 U.S.C. 3541

       note).  The use of this statute has not been litigated.

V.    INITIAL FOIA/PA ACCESS REQUESTS

    A.  NUMBERS OF INITIAL REQUESTS.

B.  DISPOSITION OF INITIAL REQUESTS.