What the Awards Tell Us about Labor Arbitration of Employment

Discrimination Claims

Ariana R. LevinsonUniversity of LouisvilleBrandeis School of Law

The Debate

The Debate

1. Procedural Protections2. Substantive Outcomes3. Union and Its Procedures

Searches

• “ADA” “Americans with Disabilities Act” “disability discrimination” “accommodation”

• “Title VII” “race discrimination” “sex discrimination”

• “sexual harassment”• “pregnancy discrimination”• “ADEA” “Age Discrimination in Employment

Act”

Sample

160 awards101 disability cases 59 other 76 statutory 35 statutory

FMCS (50%)AAA (15%)

TimelinessAverage 473 daysMedian 393 days

Days Number Percentage

365 69 44%

730 134 86%

1460 153 98%

Procedural Protections

• Publication• Witness testimony• Representation• Transcripts• Briefs• Discovery• Evidentiary rules• Time bars/arbitribility• Class actions

• 80 (50%) U represented• 123 (77%) R represented• 11 only U, not R (7%)• 46 only R, not U (29%)

Procedural Protections

• Publication• Witness testimony• Representation• Transcripts• Briefs• Discovery• Evidentiary rules• Time bars/arbitribility• Class actions

Substantive Outcomes

• Analysis• Applying law correctly• Positions held• Citation to legal authority• Redaction• Win/loss rates• Relief• Repeat players

U win49 of 150

33%

Union and Its Procedures

• Negotiated protections• Understanding law• Level of representation 32

statutory U wins

17 U agent

Concluding ThoughtsProcedural Substantive Union & Its

ProceduresDiscovery SOR Substantive

lawSOL Remedies DFR ?

Compulsory processClass actions