Announcement: Updated FMCS Arbitration Program Policies and Procedures

On Monday, May 20, 2019, updated policies and procedures for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) arbitration program will take effect.

The revised regulations are primarily intended to simplify and clarify language, update information, and implement a modest increase in user fees.

Of particular interest to labor and management parties are the new fees for panel requests:

• The fee for opening a case and requesting a panel of arbitrators submitted through our online system will increase from $30.00 to $35.00.
• The fee for requesting a panel for “manual” processing by our staff will increase from $50.00 to $70.00.
• The fee for requesting a set of biographic sketches of arbitrators without opening a case through FMCS will increase from $25.00 to $35.00 per request. The additional $0.25 per bio page remains unchanged.

Arbitrators have been directly notified of changes applicable to them. The new policies and procedures will be published on our website on May 20 and are currently available by clicking HERE or visiting https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/04/18/2019-07412/arbitration-services

The FMCS Office of Arbitration continues its commitment to provide parties with the best possible service and always welcomes input on how to maintain continuous improvement.