Labor Union Mediation Services

Labor Union Mediation Services

Alternative Law’s labor mediation services provide real solutions for both management and labor who need to work together and negotiate fairly to produce real profits and results for both the company and the workers.

In the end, apart from all of the cross threats and gamesmanship, they need truly each other not only to survive but also to prosper. Labor mediation provides the most workable forum to legitimately balance fairness and profitability.

Over the years, the changes in union representation, increased complexity of contract negotiations, and growing acceptance of mediation caused unions, companies, individual union members, governments and agencies to try alternatives and options to costly and time-consuming legal battles. The U.S. Supreme Court and other federal court systems have upheld mediation and arbitration statutes and laws. State and federal legislatures have also passed additional laws affecting labor-management relations. As a result, ALTERNATIVE LAW has a separate union mediation program. For more information, call us:

ALTERNATIVE LAW

TOLL FREE: 1.800.529.1516

Email: [email protected]
Many of our union staff resources are devoted to the mediation of labor and union issues covered and not-covered by collective bargaining disputes. The disputes are either a result of the parties’ inability to agree on terms and conditions for a labor contract or as a result of an alleged violation of the terms and conditions of an existing labor contract or human resource concerns. Sometimes they are referred to as “contract mediation” and as “grievance mediations.”

Contract Mediation

Contract mediation usually starts when negotiations between the parties become non-productive or cease altogether. Sometimes they can actually begin prior to negotiations or as part of this process. Labor or management may petition or request from ALTERNATIVE LAW the services of a mediator. The mediator convenes a meeting to help the parties find a basis for resolving the dispute on terms that are acceptable to both parties. The mediator examines and analyzes positions and interests to ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of the issues before them. Attempts are made to identify priorities and focus the parties’ efforts on problems that must be solved for an agreement. The mediator works to foster an atmosphere that is conducive to idea-sharing and problem-solving.

Grievance Mediation

Grievance mediation is a significant and growing area of ALTERNATIVE LAW services. Using traditional mediation procedures and techniques, mediators assist labor and management in the resolution of disputes over contract interpretation or employee conflict which might otherwise be submitted to arbitration. Resolution of grievance disputes through the mediation process tends to improve the overall climate of labor relations and avoids the financial costs and win/lose outcome of arbitration.

With a success rate of over 80%, grievance mediation has resulted in substantial cost and time savings for both management and labor as well as more stable and peaceful relationships.

Interest-Based Collective Bargaining

ALTERNATIVE LAW’s preparation on interest-based collective bargaining comes in two parts. The first part is an overview/exploratory session designed to assist policy makers, union members and all bargaining committee members in making their decision whether this method of bargaining is an option that both parties want to engage in. If the answer is yes, the second session is preparation and education to prepare for interest-based bargaining.

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