An experiment in the mediation of grievances, (EXCERPT), Monthly Labor Review Online, March 1983

An experiment in the
mediation of grievances

Stephen B. Goldberg and Jeanne M. Brett

Grievance mediation proved substantially faster and less expensive than arbitration, according to a 1980 test of the mediation procedure in the Appalachian coal fields. Of 37 grievances submitted to mediation during the 6-month experimental period, 32 were resolved—a success rate of 86 percent. And, on average, mediation consumed only about one-fourth of the time and cost normally required to obtain the final resolution of a grievance in binding arbitration.

For these and other reasons, persons directly involved in the test were positive about the experience. A majority of company labor relations personnel, union grievance representatives, and rank-and-file miners expressed satisfaction with every aspect of mediation, and a preference for mediation over arbitration as a means of dispute resolution.

This excerpt is from an article published in the March 1983 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The full text of the article is available in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). See How to view a PDF file for more information.

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