| Dear Mr. President:
Our experience has shown that ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)
can resolve disputes in a manner that is quicker, cheaper, and less
adversarial. For the reason, I call it "appropriate" dispute
resolution, rather than "alternative" dispute resolution. In
ADR, parties meet with each other directly, under the guidance of a
neutral professional who is trained and experienced in handling
disputes. They talk about the problems that led to the complaint and the
resolution that will work best for them in the future. With the
assistance of the neutral professional, they are able to retain control
over their own dispute and work collaboratively to find creative,
effective solutions that are agreeable to all sides.
We have found many specific examples of time and money saved through
the use of ADR. The U.S. Postal Service, for example, has one of the
leading workplace mediation programs in the country. It has mediated
more than 12,000 EEO complaints under this program. Its average
mediation takes just 4 hours, and 81 percent of mediated cases are
closed without a formal complaint being filed. Participants in the
mediation are twice as satisfied with the amount of control, respect,
and fairness in the ADR process compared with the traditional
adversarial process (88 percent satisfaction rate versus 44 percent).
The mediation program has also increased communication in the workplace,
creating lasting and beneficial changes that help prevent future
complaints. In the first year after full implementation of this ADR
program, the number of new complaints filed by U.S. Postal Service
employees dropped by 24 percent compared with the previous year. This
translates into thousands of fewer complaints per year, which represents
a huge cost savings, not to mention savings in morale and productivity.
Over the coming year, we will also work with individual agencies to
assist them in developing ADR programs. While our first year was devoted
to offering a broad-based introduction to ADR, we see our second year as
requiring work with agencies on a more individually tailored basis. We
hope to draw upon the expertise of agencies that have already been using
ADR successfully to persuade and assist agencies that are not as well
developed in this field. |