Success Stories
The examples of FMCS successes presented on this page are provided as a snapshot of the important work FMCS conducts to support the nation’s economy and keep commerce flowing. Please note that this list is not comprehensive, and FMCS mediates thousands of cases each year across various industries. The cases highlighted here are just a few representative examples and do not reflect the full scope or range of the Agency’s efforts in resolving disputes and fostering cooperation between employers and employees.
FMCS plays a crucial role in preventing and ending work stoppages, saving American taxpayers millions of dollars annually by minimizing the economic impact of labor disputes. The Agency’s mediation and other services help avoid disruptions in critical sectors, ensuring stability and productivity in the workforce and contributing to a more resilient economy.
2024
2024 12 – Federal Mediation Helps Avert Strike at George Washington Hospitals
FMCS successfully mediated a groundbreaking agreement between George Washington Hospital and its resident physicians and fellows, averting a strike that would have disrupted care for nearly 1,900 patients daily. This resolution preserved the hospital’s financial stability and operational efficiency—avoiding costly service disruptions and alleviating economic strain on local taxpayers.
2024 12 – FMCS Helps Secure 1st CBA Between NIH and UAW
FMCS facilitated a three-year collective bargaining agreement between National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NIH Fellows United (represented by UAW), securing competitive pay, benefits, and working conditions for roughly 5,000 nonpermanent researchers. This agreement not only stabilizes the workforce to sustain critical research and innovation but also supports economic growth and public health, ultimately benefiting American taxpayers.
2024 12 – FMCS Mediates University of Chicago and Faculty Forward to New Labor Agreement
FMCS mediated a five-year agreement between the University of Chicago and non-tenure-track faculty, addressing pay, benefits, and working conditions. This agreement ensures fair compensation, improved faculty support, and academic freedom protections, benefiting over 500 faculty members and enhancing the quality of education for more than 18,000 students in Chicago, thereby fostering long-term economic growth and community stability.
2024 10 – Federal Mediation Helps NEA-NEASO Reach Agreement After Work Stoppage
FMCS played a crucial role in resolving a five-week work stoppage between the National Education Association (NEA) and its support staff union, NEASO. The agreement stabilized labor relations within a significant national educator union, supporting continuous advocacy for public education, which has substantial implications for U.S. education funding and policy.
FMCS mediated a 2.5-year agreement addressing staffing, security, healthcare, and wages for 4,000 nurses. This agreement relieved staffing shortages, improved hospital operations, and prevented major disruptions in patient care, benefiting millions in Massachusetts and ensuring better resource allocation in the healthcare system.
2024 10 – FMCS Mediates Agreement to End JTRAN Strike
FMCS successfully mediated a contract amendment between MV Transportation and the Amalgamated Transit Union, ending a 14-day bus operator strike in Jackson, MS. The resolution restored reliable public transportation, facilitating economic activities and enabling planned system improvements critical to the Jackson metropolitan area’s development.
2024 09 – FMCS Facilitates Historic First Contract Agreement for Unionized Apple Store
FMCS mediated a landmark agreement between Apple and the IAM CORE union, representing workers at the first unionized U.S. Apple Store in Towson, MD. This agreement, which overcame economic disputes, ensures operational stability, enhancing consumer experience in a key Apple market and potentially influencing labor dynamics in the retail industry.
2024 08 – Federal Mediator Assists Roofers’ Assn and Union in Reaching Agreement to End Strike
FMCS mediated an agreement between the Northwest Indiana Roofing Contractors Association and the United Union of Roofers, ending a strike and restoring roofing services across Northwest Indiana, which supported local economies and construction projects.
FMCS helped Con Edison and UWUA Local 1-2 reach a four-year agreement for 8,000 utility workers, preventing a strike during a heat wave and ensuring continuous power supply and public safety for millions of New Yorkers.
FMCS facilitated an agreement between St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, resolving issues of staffing and compensation for 500 nurses, which prevented a strike, improved patient care, and ensured the hospital’s operational stability in an under-resourced community, benefiting over 3.7 million residents.
2024 07 – FMCS Essential in Resolving First Contract for UPenn Resident Advisors
FMCS helped finalize the first contract for 250 resident advisors at the University of Pennsylvania, improving job conditions and benefits while averting labor action during a turbulent period at the university, benefiting the local economy and educational environment.
FMCS mediated a resolution at Constellation Energy’s nuclear plants, avoiding a costly $1.5 million NRC contingency measure. The agreement ensured continuity in energy production and maintained economic stability in a semi-rural Illinois region.
FMCS helped Chicago Public Schools and Service Employees International Union Local 73 avert a strike by negotiating a four-year agreement covering compensation, seniority, and training for 11,000 support staff, ensuring stability for 323,000 students and economic stability for workers.
2024 06 – FMCS Intervention Brings Resolution, Averts Strike in Hospital Nurses Negotiations
FMCS mediated negotiations between Temple University Jeanes Hospital and Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, resolving issues of salaries and understaffing for nearly 400 nurses, which prevented a strike, improved job satisfaction, and maintained hospital efficiency, positively affecting over 1.5 million residents.
2024 06 – FMCS Training Paves Way for Tyson Foods and Union to Reach Agreement
FMCS provided training for Tyson Foods and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, leading to improved communication and working conditions at Tyson’s Shelbyville, Tennessee facility, which helped avert future labor conflicts and ensured economic stability and operational continuity for a significant local employer.
FMCS mediated a contract in 2024 for over 2,200 Chicago Park District workers, ensuring continued services. This prevented economic disruptions for families relying on stable employment and the city’s park programs, enhancing local quality of life.
2024 03 – Federal Mediation Resolves Kroger Mid-Atlantic Union Negotiations, Averting Strike
FMCS helped avert a strike involving 3,500 Kroger employees across West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. The resolution prevented disruptions in grocery supply, maintaining access to essential goods and supporting economic stability in local communities.
2024 01 – Strike Averted at Century Aluminum with FMCS Mediation
FMCS mediated a five-year agreement between Century Aluminum and United Steelworkers in 2023, preventing a strike that could have cost $27 million to restart smelter operations. The settlement preserved over 500 jobs, supporting the local economy and stability in Kentucky’s manufacturing sector.
2023
2023 11 – Strikes End at Nevada National Security Site with FMCS Mediation
FMCS resolved two strikes at the Nevada National Security Site involving Teamsters Local 631 and UA Local 525, restoring mission-critical work, preventing significant economic repercussions, and supporting over 700 employees in local communities dependent on the site’s operations.
FMCS mediated a three-year agreement for CenterPoint Energy and IBEW Local 66, addressing compensation and leave issues, preventing a potential strike, and ensuring uninterrupted service for over 2.4 million residents in the greater Houston area.
2023 10 – FMCS Mediators Help Wabtec Corporation and Union Reach Agreement Ending Lengthy Strike
FMCS mediated a four-year agreement ending a 10-week strike for 1,400 workers at Wabtec’s Erie plant, ensuring job stability, local economic support, and continued investment in innovative technologies, benefiting over 684,000 residents in Pennsylvania.
FMCS facilitated a historic agreement involving the U.S. government and several tribes, securing $200 million over 20 years to restore salmon populations in the Upper Columbia River Basin. This agreement benefits over 4 million residents across multiple states, preserves tribal traditions, and shifts resources from litigation to collaborative efforts for salmon reintroduction, all without impacting hydropower.
FMCS mediated a 3.5-year agreement for nearly 1,000 nurses at St. Charles Medical Center, addressing understaffing and economic issues, preventing a costly strike, and ensuring continuous healthcare services for over 600,000 residents in Central and Eastern Oregon.
2023 06 – FMCS-Mediated Transportation Agreement Helps Ensure Labor Peace
FMCS mediated a three-year agreement for NORTA employees, addressing driver shortages, employee morale, and safety, preventing service disruptions, and ensuring reliable public transportation for residents of New Orleans, supporting economic stability and growth.
FMCS mediated a new contract after a workers’ strike, stabilizing hospital operations, retaining 700 healthcare staff, and ensuring continued care for 10 underserved California communities, impacting 3.6 million residents.
2023 05 – FMCS Helps End Strike at Rhode Island School of Design
FMCS mediated a six-year agreement for 55 facilities staff at RISD, addressing wages and benefits, preventing disruptions to the academic schedule and local economy, and benefiting over one million Rhode Island residents.
2023 02 – NYC Nurses’ Strike Ends After Successful Federal Mediation
FMCS helped end a three-day nurses’ strike, securing agreements for 7,000 nurses across multiple NYC health systems, enhancing patient care, and addressing staffing shortages in hospitals serving millions of residents, including the Bronx’s lowest-income communities.
2023 02 – FMCS-Mediated Transportation Agreement Helps Ensure Labor Peace (CATS)
FMCS facilitated a three-year contract between Transit Management of Charlotte and SMART Local 1715, preventing a strike that would have disrupted bus services for over 1 million residents, including 3.6 million quarterly riders in vulnerable communities.
2023 02 – Federal Mediation Averts Massive Minnesota Nurses Strike
FMCS mediated agreements for 15,000 nurses across 16 hospitals, avoiding a massive strike. These agreements improved staffing levels, expanded care availability, and provided significant cost savings by reducing the need for back-up nurses, thus ensuring continuous healthcare services for Minnesota’s growing population.
2022
2022 12 – FMCS Mediates Beneficial Gulf Coast Rail Agreement
FMCS facilitated a landmark agreement restoring passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, enhancing transportation options, boosting the Gulf Coast economy, supporting tourism, and benefiting over 2.3 million residents with a low-emissions travel alternative.