How ADR could help collective bargaining negotiations

As a result of the economic downturn and government efforts to cut costs, public sector collective bargaining has come to the forefront of the political landscape. The timely topic will be tackled at the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution symposium on Feb. 17.

The symposium will bring together scholars and professionals to examine the current role of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in collective bargaining and suggest ways to improve negotiations in the future.

Panel discussions will highlight:

• the legislative controversies in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan;
• how the successes of private sector practices bear on the future of public sector bargaining;
• the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in collective bargaining agreements;
• the emergence of interest arbitration statutes; and
• how continued negotiation between public sector unions and management does, in fact, advance the public interest.

Charles Craver, the Freda H. Alverson Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School, will deliver the keynote address. Over the last 30 years, Craver has taught negotiation skills to more than 80,000 lawyers in the United States and beyond its borders. A dozen books bear his name, including The Advocate’s Perspective and Can Unions Survive?

The symposium also will feature the following experts in the field: Richard Bales, Howard Bellman, Michael Carrell, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Michael Green, David Lipsky, Anne Lofaso, Martin Malin, Joseph Slater, Lamont Stallworth, Saul Rubinstein, and Floyd Weatherspoon.

The symposium, titled “The Role of ADR Mechanisms in Public Sector Labor Disputes: What Is at Stake, Where We Can Improve & How We Can Learn from the Private Sector,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Ohio Union Round Room.

Participants can earn five hours of CLE credit for attending. The cost is $30 and includes lunch at the Barrister Club. Students and faculty of The Ohio State University may attend for free. To register online, click here.