Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Expedited arbitration has been suggested as one solution to the problems of cost and time delays frequently encountered in the traditional arbitration of employee grievances. This article reviews the experiences of labor and management in administering five different expedited arbitration systems: the basic steel plan, expedited arbitration in the Postal Service and the Long island Railroad, procedures at the Kelsey-Hayes Corporation (Jackson, Michigan, Plant), and the International Paper Company plan. The major conclusion is that substantial time and cost savings can result when expedited procedures are followed.

The importance of controlling costs and reducing time delays in the arbitration process has been apparent from the professional literature for more than 20 years. Indeed, the ink  was hardly dry on the Supreme Court decision giving substantive legal standing to the process' before some critics charged that arbitration was becoming increasingly time consuming and that the process was losing its informality. Some years later, the problems of rising costs and the shortage of skilled and experienced arbitrators were identified as other areas of special concern in the arbitration process.'