The International Association of Amateur Heralds

Found this yesterday : the armorial seal of the US Federal Labor Relations Authority. It presumably dates from around 1978, as the Act which established the USFLRA in that year required it to adopt an official seal.

I don't know for sure, but from the style of the drawing I'd bet this is a product of the (Army) Institute of Heraldry.

I'm reasonably sure Joe is correct. I worked as an agency (management) labor relations specialist / officer / manager for three Federal agencies for over 30 years and had frequent dealings with the FLRA which oversees and adjudicates Federal labor-management disputes. The arms (seal) displayed in their offices and hearing rooms were the same style and construction (essentially molded plastic) as those displayed in other Federal offices - the armorial fingerprints of TIOH. I've always liked the design - while the charges are a bit of a cliché, they are simply drawn and attractively arranged.

I’m certain Joe is right, as Mike says.
The circle bearing the wording is de rigeur for an arm of the US government and, to my mind, not really heraldic, but the cleanness of execution certainly bears the hallmark of the Institute.

The circle with the name reflects the purpose of the design; agencies need seals to authenticate papers, and the heraldic nature of some of them is merely a by-product of this fundamental purpose.

As you say, Joe. But this actually sums up the problem I have with US official “heraldry”: the armorial element is secondary, and the seal primary, whereas it ought to be the other way around.

Difference in National values and priorities. A seal of some sort was considered necessary to validate documents, whereas a coat of arms apart from a seal was decorative but not necessary for the functioning of government. We're lucky that any of them include arms!