EEOC TO EXAMINE BENEFITS OF WORKPLACE MEDIATION AT NEXT PUBLIC COMMISSION MEETING

PRESS RELEASE
11-25-03

December 2 Forum to Include Issuance of Report on Employer Participation

WASHINGTON -- The next open meeting of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will take place on Tuesday, December 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Conference Room (9th Floor), at agency headquarters located at 1801 L Street, N.W.

The public Commission Meeting will examine the EEOC's National Mediation Program, the workplace benefits of mediation, and employer participation in EEOC mediation one of the largest employment-related Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs of its kind. The Commission will hear from a range of speakers including: representatives of the private bar; employer representatives from Safeway Inc., ConAgra Foods, Inc., Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation, and the Equal Employment Advisory Council (which represents Fortune 500 companies); professionals in dispute resolution and human resources, including the Society for Human Resource Management and the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution; and EEOC mediation staff from agency headquarters and the field.

The Commission will also issue and discuss the results of a new report by Professor E. Patrick McDermott of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, Salisbury University, entitled, "An Investigation of the Reasons for the Lack of Employer Participation in the EEOC Mediation Program," and explore ideas for enhancing and expanding the program.

Members of the public are requested to arrive before 9:00 a.m. to allow sufficient time to complete entry procedures prior to the meeting. Photo identification is required for entry. Any matters not discussed or concluded may be carried over to a later meeting. The Commission agenda is subject to revision. Please call (202) 663-7100 (voice) or (202) 663-4074 (TTY) on the day of the meeting to confirm the schedule. Further information about the Commission and the EEOC's National Mediation Program are available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

This page was last modified on November 25, 2003.