Notice of Acceptance of Applications for Placement on the Bureau Arbitration Roster

The Bureau of Mediation Services is now accepting applications for placement on the Bureau Arbitrator Roster pursuant to Minnesota Statutes § 179.02, subd. 4; Minnesota Statutes § 179A.04, subd. 3 (a) (13), and Minnesota Rules parts 5530.0100 to 5530.1300.

This Roster is used to provide names of arbitrators to employers and labor organizations to hear and decide grievance and interest disputes. Referrals from the roster will be made to employers and unions in both the public and private sectors in Minnesota. Members of the Roster must be willing and able to arbitrate both grievance and interest cases.

To be eligible for appointment to the roster, an applicant must maintain a principal place of residence in Minnesota or one of its contiguous states. The maintenance of a mailbox or mail delivery point is not sufficient to satisfy this requirement.

Minnesota Statutes § 179.02, subd. 4; Minnesota Statutes § l 79A.04, subd. 3 (a) (13), states in pertinent part that:

Each person on the list must be knowledgeable about collective bargaining and labor relations in the public sector, well versed in state and federal labor law, and experienced in and knowledgeable about labor arbitration. To the extent practicable, the commissioner shall appoint members to the list so that the list is gender and racially diverse.

The following standards for appointment to the Arbitration Roster are required:

                1)    knowledge and understanding of labor relations systems and collective bargaining processes and dynamics;

                2)    knowledge and understanding of applicable contract, employment, and labor relations law;

                3)    ability to hear and decide complex labor relations issues fairly and objectively;

                4)    ability to communicate clearly and concisely in writing and orally;

                5)    ability to conduct orderly and effective arbitration hearings in various settings and locations throughout Minnesota; and

                6)    reputation in the labor-management community for high professional standards of competence, ethics, and integrity.

Evidence of an applicant's qualifications may be advanced in one or a combination of the following ways:

                1)    by submitting six or more arbitration awards or contested case decisions that were authored and signed by the applicant in the 24-month period preceding application;

                2)    by having at least six years' experience as a full-time labor relations advocate and by submitting six arbitration awards in which the applicant acted as the principal representative for either the labor organization or the employer;

                3)    by having at least six years' experience as a full-time labor mediator, including grievance mediation experience;

                4)    by having at least six years' experience as a practitioner or full-time instructor of labor law or industrial relations, including collective bargaining, labor agreements, and contract administration;

                5)    by being a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators; or

                6)    by completing a mentorship with a roster member.

All persons meeting these standards and qualifications are encouraged to apply.  Application for placement on the Bureau Arbitration Roster can be accomplished by completing and submitting the form linked here.

Applications received by Friday, October 7, 2022 will be reviewed in an early screening process.  The posting for applicants will remain open throughout the early screening process and all applications received by December 30, 2022 will be considered for appointment.

A pdf version of this notice is available here. 

Posted: September 1, 2022