Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Introduction

Judging from its widespread adoption, arbitration is immensely popular as a means of resolving grievances between employers and employees. Approximately one-fourth of the labor force, 21,000,000 people, are covered by an estimated 160,000 labor-management agreements. In these contracts a grievance procedure almost invariably is spelled out, with ninety-five percent of the procedures ending in the bands of a neutral.

Given tbe ubiquitous nature of aibitiadon as a means of putting employment disputes to rest, it becomes significant to examine the tactics used by the collective bargaining adversaries to help score points with the arbitrator. The representatives of labor and management press for victories, and to be successful they must convince the neutral as to the preponderance of evidence.