[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 113 (Tuesday, September 2, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S8674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 117, 
submitted earlier today by Senator Jeffords.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 117) congratulating the Federal 
     Mediation and Conciliation Service on the occasion of its 
     50th anniversary.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the resolution.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I am submitting, along with 
Senators Kennedy, DeWine, and Wellstone, a Senate resolution to 
congratulate the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on its 50th 
anniversary.
  The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service [FMCS] was created in 
1947, as an independent agency, by the Labor-Management Relations Act 
[Taft-Hartley]. FMCS was established by Congress to resolve collective 
bargaining disputes which threaten the free flow of commerce and to 
promote the development of sound and stable labor-management relations.
  The primary focus of the agency's work is on labor-management 
relations, mediating contract negotiation disputes between companies 
and the unions representing their employees, and providing training in 
cooperative processes to help build better labor-management relations. 
FMCS also was authorized under the Dispute Resolution Act of 1990 to 
share its expertise in all aspects of mediation, facilitation, and 
conflict resolution with Federal, State, and local governmental bodies 
and agencies. In addition to dispute mediation services, FMCS provides 
preventive mediation services, administers a grants program which 
provides funding for the creation and operation of joint labor-
management committees, and also provides an arbitration service, when 
disputes arise between the parties over the interpretation of their 
collective bargaining agreement.
  For 50 years, the men and women of the FMCS have worked tirelessly, 
and successfully, to accomplish the mission of the Agency, the 
promotion of ``sound and stable industrial peace and the advancement of 
the general welfare, health and safety of the Nation.* * *'' Our 
resolution recognizes, and commends, the Federal Mediation and 
Conciliation Service for its 50 years of dedicated service to the 
Nation.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the resolution appear at this point in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 117) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 117

       Whereas the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 
     (referred to in this resolution as the ``FMCS'') was created 
     as an independent agency of the United States by the Labor-
     Management Relations Act of 1947;
       Whereas for 50 years, the FMCS has been instrumental in 
     promoting the United States policy that ``sound and stable 
     industrial peace and the advancement of the general welfare, 
     health, and safety of the Nation and of the best interest of 
     employers and employees can most satisfactorily be secured 
     through settlement of issues between employers and employees 
     through the processes of collective bargaining between 
     employers and representatives of their employees'';
       Whereas the FMCS has provided mediation services to labor 
     and management by assisting them to settle disputes and reach 
     agreement in collective bargaining negotiations, thereby 
     helping to prevent or minimize work stoppages that disrupt 
     the free flow of commerce and to promote sound and stable 
     labor-management relations;
       Whereas the FMCS has provided arbitration services by 
     administering a roster of qualified, private arbitrators to 
     resolve disputes arising under collective bargaining 
     agreements, thereby minimizing disruptions to commerce and 
     preserving labor-management peace;
       Whereas the FMCS has encouraged joint initiatives designed 
     to assist employers and the representatives of their 
     employees explore better ways to manage differences and to 
     work together for mutual benefit and has awarded grants to 
     promote labor-management cooperation and to encourage 
     innovative workplace practices, thereby improving economic 
     performance and enhancing economic development, employment 
     security, and organizational effectiveness;
       Whereas the FMCS has provided dispute resolution services 
     to government agencies as an alternative to costly litigation 
     or formal rulemaking, thereby enabling less adversarial and 
     more participative approaches to governing;
       Whereas the FMCS has helped management, labor, and 
     government leaders from many nations throughout the world to 
     establish sound industrial relations and conflict resolution 
     systems and practices, thereby promoting sound economic 
     development and democratic principles; and
       Whereas the FMCS has developed the art, science, and 
     practice of conflict resolution as a means to improve the 
     lives of the working men and women of this Nation and the 
     relationships between labor and management and between others 
     in our society, to sustain democratic institutions, and to 
     strengthen the American economy, thereby making an important 
     contribution to our Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 
     for 50 years of dedicated and important service to the 
     Nation; and
       (2) congratulates the FMCS as it commemorates its fiftieth 
     anniversary.

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