THE SFEB CONSORTIUM – WHO ARE WE?
The Seattle Federal Executive Board (SFEB) ADR Consortium is an intergovernmental pool of certified mediators from approximately 20 different federal agencies around Western Washington, the State of Washington, the City of Seattle and the Port of Seattle. The SFEB ADR Consortium is a Shared Neutrals program that was created in 1993. We were the first FEB ADR Consortium in country and have been so successful that every FEB in the country now has an ADR Consortium.
We were selected to receive the National OPM Director’s Award for Outstanding ADR Program, which was awarded to us by Attorney General Janet Reno and OPM Director Janice LaChance.
About our Mediators
The average grade of our mediator cadre is GS-13.5, 25% of whom are attorneys. We currently have 80 mediators on our roster and the majority of them hold advanced degrees (Masters or higher). We are a very diverse group in ethnicity, cultures, languages and Bargaining Unit/Non-Bargaining Unit status and we try, as much as possible, to match our mediators to the parties.
Our mediators have an advanced level of skill, which is developed through an extensive training program that takes approximately two years to complete. The mediators are certified through a nationally recognized certification process - the same process used by outside, contract mediators.
One quarter of the mediators in the SFEB ADR Consortium are certified by the Washington Mediation Association (WMA). The requirements to attain this certification are very stringent, and it is remarkable to have so many in our group with this level of training and experience. The WMA requires completion of Basic Mediation Training, at least 60 hours of advanced training specific to the substantive area of practice, plus a minimum of 200 hours mediation experience. Washington State is one of the most difficult states in the country in which to be certified as mediator.
Settlement Rates & Satisfaction
The SFEB ADR Consortium’s overall mediation settlement rate is 89%. The satisfaction rate is 95% (of those who went through mediation, even those whose cases did not "settle" formally, 95% were satisfied with the process).
Types of Cases Mediated
We mediate and facilitate ALL types of workplace cases, e.g., supervisor/employee; employee/employee; groups, etc. We mediate cases across the full spectrum of workplace issues, from employee personality disputes to Directors of Agencies with nationally known attorney representatives.
We also have experience mediating federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) cases at the hearing stage for the Seattle Field Office of the EEOC. These cases have sometimes been in the pipeline as long as 5 years. The parties are typically VERY entrenched and VERY emotional. These are some of the most difficult workplace mediation cases in existence.
Our Mediation Model
The mediation model used by the ADR Consortium is a powerful, sophisticated tool, which is actually very structured, although it appears informal to the parties. It is especially effective with serious emotional disputes between parties who need to have a continuing relationship; however, the process is appropriate for all types of personnel disputes. It is also well suited for EEO complaints and collective bargaining unit grievances.
Benefits of an Inter-governmental Mediator Pool:
Use of mediators from agencies other than the disputant’s home agency ensures the perception of neutrality and confidentiality. It minimizes perceived biases or inappropriate knowledge if the mediator was from the parties’ home agency. In the situation where an in-house mediator is used, and that mediator is known by the parties, there may be some concern that the mediator could be friends with one side or the other or that information from the mediation could be disclosed to inappropriate parties outside of the mediation.
An inter-governmental pool of mediators provides for flexibility of resources. We are always able to find an available mediator, even on short notice.
An inter-governmental pool ensures that the expertise of our mediators is current. We are able to provide continuing education programs on cutting-edge issues in the ADR field. We are also able to develop mediators during their practicum and help them attain their certifications.
The bottom line is that we offer HIGH Quality mediation at no cost to public sector entities (other than transportation and per diem, if applicable) - the same service that from an outside mediator could cost as much as $3,000.
Please do not hesitate to contact Tom Melancon, SFEB ADR Program Manager, at (206) 553-0098 if you have any questions or would like to discuss whether ADR would be appropriate for your situation. You may also e-mail him at melancon.tom.l@dol.gov.
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