Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

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Introduction

The role of the labor arbitrator has been formed within a tradition, now firmly established, that labor arbitration is "an integral part of the larger institution of collective bargaining" and that, consequently, "the beckoning star which guides the wise men of arbitration is the mutual intent of the parties."

This tradition goes back at least to the days before 1900 when the word arbitration was synonymous with collective bargaining, mediation and conciliation, and it can be traced through the development of the impartial chairman system, the umpire system. War Labor Board inspired grievance arbitration to contemporary labor arbitration. According to the literature of labor arbitration, however, this continuity was broken by the rejection of the mediation-continuous negotiation approach of the impartial chairman and the adoption of the umpire or judicial approach of making a just decision based upon the merits of the case.