MWI Neutral Observer Panel Application Form

MWI is seeking qualified neutrals to provide services for two national clients in Northern California beginning in June of 2017.

Application due date: Monday, April 17, 2017 – 5 PM ET – APPLICATION PROCESS CLOSED

Project Description

MWI’s Neutral Observer Panel consists of qualified neutrals who attend a series of meetings led by a representative of a company’s management team and a representative from a proposed union, both of whom are MWI’s clients. The meetings are attended by 5 to 25 employees of the company with the goal of providing them with information about whether or not to join the proposed union. Each meeting lasts for about an hour and consists of two short presentations, one by management and one by the union. The initial joint presentation is followed by an additional presentation by the union without the management representative present. The role of the Neutral Observer is to observe and ensure that the meeting is conducted in accordance with criteria agreed to by the union and management. Neutral Observers should not speak to the group during the meetings or provide written feedback. The Neutral Observer provides verbal feedback to management and the union about anything that was said that could be perceived as contrary to the agreed upon meeting criteria – click here for a copy of the meeting criteria.

Neutral Qualifications

MWI is seeking to pre-qualify 10 to 15 Neutral Observers by mid-2017. Minimum qualifications include:

Candidates must reside in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, or San Mateo Counties, California. (This requirement is in place to provide the clients with neutral observers who are able to provide services on a last minute basis if a scheduled neutral observer is not available due to illness or for some other reason);
Trained mediator in accordance with their state statute on mediation, if applicable;
Minimum B.A. degree or equivalent experience;
A strict commitment to neutrality, confidentiality and fulfillment of stated role;

Neutrals who have applied previously and were not accepted are not eligible to reapply.

Compensation

Members of MWI’s Neutral Observer Panel will be paid a flat fee of $250 for up to 6 continuous hours of meeting observation time between the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM. Any time spent attending meetings after the initial 6 hours would be compensated at $50 per hour. Time spent either driving to meetings or waiting for a subsequent meeting to begin does not count toward the continuous 6 hours. Neutral Observers will be paid for mileage traveled from their primary residence to and from the scheduled meeting location back to their primary residence at the standard federal mileage rate.

Timeline

Monday, April 17, 2017 – first round of completed applications (see below) and resumes due by 5:00 PM ET;
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 – notification by email to candidates who have been selected or not selected for an interview with the clients;
Week of May 8, 2017 – phone interviews with management and union representatives;
Monday, May 15, 2017 – candidates are notified of panel acceptance or decline;
May or June (TBD), 2017 – Neutral Observer meetings begin.

Application Process

Interested applicants should complete the application below and send a resume via email to cdoran@mwi.org. Questions should be sent via email (no phone calls please) to:

Chuck Doran, Executive Director
MWI
10 Liberty Square – 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02109
cdoran@mwi.org

MWI Neutral Observer Panel Application Form

The purpose of this application is to determine your qualifications to work as an independent contractor with MWI in its role as a provider of neutral observer services for two national clients. Please note that MWI only qualifies and contracts with individual neutrals and not with firms or organizations. There is no application fee or annual fee to be a member of MWI’s neutral panels. Acceptance as an independent contractor is not guaranteed solely by meeting the qualifications delineated in this application. Final acceptance will include a telephone or in-person interview and will be at our clients' discretion.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

Address*

City*

State*

Zip Code*

Phone*

Fax

Email*

Please identify when you completed your initial mediation training, the name of the training provider and the total number of training hours completed. Please include information about any advanced mediation trainings you have completed as well.

Have you had any formal complaints filed against you in your role as a mediator or provider of ADR services? If so, please describe the nature of each complaint and the outcome.

Please provide the names and contact information of two professional references who are familiar with your work as a mediator.

MWI’s client has asked MWI to qualify neutrals who are willing and able to: a) fulfill the role of Neutral Observer without a bias for or against management and/or a union; and b) conduct their role in a professional and ethical manner; Are you willing and able to fulfill the role of a Neutral Observer in accordance with these requirements?

Do you have questions or is there anything else that you would like us to know?

How did you hear about the Neutral Observer Project?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this application. Please email a current resume to cdoran@mwi.org to complete the application process. Applications will be reviewed and notices of acceptance or denial will be sent out via email.