Most collective bargaining agreements contain grievance and arbitration provisions that permit unions to challenge alleged employer violations of the labor agreement, including whether an employee was discharged for just cause. Public sector employers must also often participate in interest arbitration to determine the terms and conditions of their labor contracts with unions – and, if organized labor gets its way, private sector employers may soon join in that process with respect to their initial agreements. Success in either type of arbitration allows an employer to run its business the way it needs to in order to grow.
Reed Smith represents employers in hundreds of grievance arbitrations a year, from participating in settlement negotiations during the grievance procedure, to selecting an arbitrator most likely to support management’s interpretation of the contract or disciplinary decision, to trying the case in arbitration. Because of our considerable experience in the public sector, where interest arbitration is more common, Reed Smith attorneys represent employers in a significant number of such arbitrations every year, both in presenting the case to the arbitration panel and in serving as the employer’s representative on the panel.