Mediating Employment Disputes at the United States Postal Service

Abstract

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been engaged in experimentation with various models and forms of mediation for employment discrimination disputes since 1994 This study examines perceptions of procedural justice in a natural field experiment An upstate New York USPS district implemented an inside neutral model of mediation -that is, a model using existing USPS employees trained as mediators, for the period 1996 to 1998 In 1998 to the present, the USPS implemented a new, outside neutral model nationwide Under this model, outside neutral indepen dent contractors, compensated but not employed by the USPS, provide mediation services