DOT latest agency to adopt alternative dispute resolution policy

Falling in step with many other federal agencies, the Department of Transportation recently issued an interim policy on the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques.

DOT's Interim Statement of Policy "commits the department to considering ADR in a variety of areas, such as resolution of workplace issues, formal and informal adjudication, rulemaking, enforcement, issuance and recovation of licenses and permits, contract and grant administration, and litigation brought by or against the department."

Federal managers and employees have often found the traditional complaint process for allegations ranging from discrimination to retaliation for whistleblowing to be a bureaucratic maze. In the mid-1990s, some agencies began using ADR, which encompasses a wide range of techniques including mediation, fact-finding and arbitration, to reduce their backlogs of cases. ADR also cuts costs associated with those types of complaints.

In 1998, President Clinton established a working group to encourage agencies to use ADR techniques.

Officials from the Postal Service and the Air Force have praised ADR efforts and have said the mediation process has worked well in their agencies. Last month, the Office of Personnel Management recognized several agencies for having exceptional ADR programs. The Department of Agriculture's National Finance Center (NFC), the Defense Logistics Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Postal Service all received OPM's Director's Awards for Outstanding ADR programs. The Corporation for National Service received an honorable mention.

Comments on DOT's interim ADR policy can be submitted at the agency's Docket Management System Web site or sent by mail to 400 7th St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. Comments must be received by Jan. 16, 2001.