Requesting an Arbitration Panel Effective October 1, 2004, only requests for on-line panels that are sent via e-mail will be charged $30.00. If one or more of the parties requests delivery by mail or fax, the charge will be $50, due to the additional staff time for handling the panels and the cost of postage for mailing. There are two ways you can request a panel of arbitrators from FMCS:
In addition to checks and money orders, FMCS accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards as payment for arbitration panels. (If you submit a check to FMCS as payment for an arbitration panel, please read the Notice to Customers Making Payments by Check carefully regarding FMCS' procedures for handling these funds.) If your account does not permit ACH (electronic) withdrawals, do not submit a check to FMCS. Please use a credit card for payment. To avoid duplicate credit card charges, submit the Form R-43 by mail or fax. Do not submit the form using both methods. Question or Need Help? If you have any questions or need help with the forms, you may call (202) 606-5111 and we will be able to assist you. Labor-management customers have three options from which to choose with regard to the pooling of arbitrators:
NOTE: If a specific geographical area is not indicated on a panel request, the FMCS selection process defaults to “Regional” to select the arbitrator. Once a panel request is received by FMCS, it is reviewed for completeness, ensuring that the parties have provided the pertinent information. Once this information is entered into the computer, arbitrators are randomly selected for each panel. FMCS will accept requests for arbitrators with specific Issue and Industry experience or professional affiliation, provided both parties agree to the request or language permitting unilateral requests for this experience or affiliation is contained in the collective bargaining agreement. The Office of Arbitration Services will, upon written request, submit a list of arbitrators and their biographical sketches from a designated geographical area. The parties may then select and deal directly with the arbitrator of their choice, with no further involvement of FMCS with the parties or the arbitrator. The cost for this service is $25.00 for the request and $.25 per page for each bio. See Section 1404.9 of FMCS Arbitration Policies and Procedures. |