HOW TO - Prepare for Arbitration
Every semester GVSU students are assigned to either an employer or union team in their Grievance Arbitration and Collective Bargaining class. Each team is given facts involving a union employee who has allegedly violated various employment rules. The employer teams then conduct investigatory interviews, determine the appropriate discipline and send letters of discipline to the union teams. The union teams then file grievances, the employer teams send grievance replies, and then all the teams prepare for arbitration. The arbitrations are tried before arbitrators and/or attorneys.
This section of the web site will provide instructions on how to prepare for an arbitration, relevant web links, and pictures of past arbitrations to aid the students in preparing for their first arbitration.
As you can well imagine, the use of actual arbitration awards is invaluable in helping the students prepare for their cases. The awards help the students better understand the concept of just cause, appropriate discipline, and the facts and contractual provisions important to an arbitrator when writing a decision.
Students at GVSU are strongly recommended to look at the arbitration tapes on reserve in the library so that they may see an actual arbitration hearing before they prepare for their own arbitration hearings.
Page last modified October 10, 2012
