National Labor Relations Board

This NLRB FOIA manual has been prepared, as updated, by the General Counsel of the NLRB to furnish guidance to Agency employees in making determinations concerning the public release of Agency records under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), as amended,1 and in litigating FOIA-based lawsuits. The Manual provides a basic review of the FOIA and its exemptions, as well as operational guidance on how to process a FOIA request-including threshold procedural issues, case assignment, creation of a FOIA Docket and File, search procedures, preparation of responsive documents for release, and assessment of charges. This Manual does not constitute a final determination by the General Counsel or the Board concerning the availability of any document; nor does it create legally binding obligations to release or withhold documents. Similarly, these guidelines are not intended to be and should not be viewed as binding procedural rules; nor should they be construed as creating any legally enforceable rights on the part of FOIA requesters.