February 2, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

Contact: NMB Public Information Line--(202) 692-5050

Re: NMB and UMass Form Partnership to Study ADR Technologies

Washington, D.C. -- For the first time today, representatives from the National Mediation Board, the National Science Foundation, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and participating carriers and unions from the airline and railroad industries met to discuss the recently announced NSF-funded online dispute resolution (ODR)/grievance mediation research project.

The grant to UMass is for a ground-breaking, comprehensive study of the impact of technology on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes, with a particular emphasis on the impact of ODR technology on grievance mediation. The intent of the project is to design, develop and pilot online dispute resolution technologies to meet specific needs of parties and make relevant technology available to them at little or no cost. The research project runs through October 31, 2007.

The federal government recently mandated that its agencies use ADR: over eighty agencies currently have such programs. The NMB is a principal participant in the US Government Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group of more than 25 federal agencies with active ADR programs and a strong interest in the use of ODR technology.

For further information about the NMB-UMass partnership or NMB’s ADR program and initiatives, contact the NMB’s Director of ADR Services, Daniel Rainey, at 202-692-5051, or by email at rainey@nmb.gov.

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