The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) helped NFL players and owners negotiate for 16 days this past March.  Now, the federal judge supervising the dispute will require both sides to participate in further mediation.  One issue is the coming professional football season now that the collective bargaining agreement previously in place has expired. 

U.S.  District Judge Susan Richard Nelson announced that Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan would supervise the upcoming mediation sessions.  Players' representatives are scheduled to meet with him on Tuesday, while NFL representatives will take their turn the following day.  The players have already requested a preliminary injunction against the league, requiring that the lockout now in effect be lifted.  Judge Nelson has taken the matter under advisement but has yet to announce any final decision regarding the lockout or the requested preliminary injunction.

A Brief History of the FMCS

An independent agency of the US government, the FMCS has been helping labor and management resolve their differences since 1947.  It was formed as a result of the Taft-Hartley Act, and replaced a previous conciliation service that had been part of the Department of Labor.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the service also assists community and government agencies around the world.  Mediation attorneys who work for the service are fully certified to practice in all areas of mediation and can be relied upon to provided prompt and professional advice in relation to any disputes.