A May 7, 2003 Notice in the Federal Register outlines the regulation that would create the proposed Access to Neutrals initiative, designed to improve public access to experienced private-sector mediators through creation of a national registry.

Once officially launched, the registry of neutrals will be administered through the supervision of the Agency Director, the Access to Neutrals Initiative Director, and a Neutrals Committee selected by the Director. 

“Our plan,” said Access to Neutral acting director Peggy McNeive, “is to continually evaluate the program, and to use additional focus groups and other evaluation tools to make recommendations to revise and improve the initiative.”

“This is an important program,” said FMCS Commissioner McNeive, “because the agency needs to find ways to meet the increased demand for neutral mediators and for alternative dispute resolution services. As we studied this problem, it became clear to ourselves, our clients and our stakeholders that ready access to a pool of professional, private-sector neutrals equipped to handle workplace and organizational disputes arising outside of the collective bargaining arena would have great value.”

The Access to Neutrals registry will be filled by professional private-sector neutrals – mediators, lawyers and others – who can demonstrate a combination of education, training and experience that demonstrates they meet certain standards for employment, public policy or multi-party regulatory negotiation dispute resolution.

When the registry is up and running, it will be accessible to clients through the FMCS web site. Each client will be asked to register, and to indicate the purpose or case for which neutrals are needed. “We want to screen out casual visitors from those customers with legitimate professional interest,” said McNeive. Online, a panel of five-to-seven neutrals will be available without charge. If, however, a client requires FMCS staff assistance in selecting or receiving a panel, a fee will be charged for that service.