George Cohen, federal mediator, has joined negotiations between Bay Area Rapid Transit management and its workers’ union, in hopes of helping both sides reach an agreement in talks that have reached a stalemate.  Union representatives have expressed hope that Cohen’s presence will help level the playing field in negotiations that, according to them, are disrespectful, with much of the disrespect coming from the BART management representatives. 

Cohen’s background is one that gives him much credibility among the unions.  He has mediated disputes between athletes and owners in major league sports and has also helped resolve disputes between the Metropolitan Opera’s administration and its musicians.  From 1966 until 2005, he represented unions as an attorney and has served as counsel for five significant labor lawsuits that have been heard by the United States Supreme Court.

According to Robert Batterman, an attorney from New York, Cohen has the unique ability to remove emotion from discussions.  “Cohen is very smart,” says Batterman, “so he can learn the issues very very quickly.  He’s imaginative.  He can think up and develop compromises that the parties may not have considered.  As a long time union lawyer, he knows the process of collective bargaining … so he knows how to deal with people and he knows how to get the parties to see the other side’s point of view.”