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    Labor Management Relations Glossary

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    Accretion

    When some employees are transferred to another employing entity whose employees are already represented by a union, FLRA will often find that those employees have "accreted" to (i.e., become part of) the existing unit of the new employer, with the result that the transferred employees have a new exclusive representative along with a new employer. See, e.g., 52 FLRA No. 97, where FLRA found an accretion and compare it with 56 FLRA No. 174, where it didn't. Compare with successorship.

    • ACCRETION vs SUCCESSORSHIP.  When employees are transferred to different organizations and it is claimed that both "successorship" and "accretion" principles apply, the Authority will first determine whether the transferred employees are in separate appropriate unit(s)--i.e., whether they have a community of interest separate and distinct from that of employees in the gaining employer's existing unit(s). If so, and provided other requirements are met, "successorship" applies and the unit accretion petition will be dismissed. If not, FLRA will determine if the transferred employees have accreted to the gaining employer's existing unit(s). See 52 FLRA No. 97.

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