The Scheinman Institute at the ILR School, an academic organization that promotes a problem-solving approach to dispute resolution, has formed the Cornell ILR National Conflict Resolution Service (NCRS) in collaboration with the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
Javier Ramirez
The NCRS will serve the labor-management community with a broad national focus by providing labor-management training, dispute resolution, collective-bargaining mediation and relationship-building services. With the AAA, it will also establish a network of skilled dispute resolution professionals to extend the Scheinman Institute's work to contribute to the strength of the U.S. labor relations system.
The service will provide training opportunities in alternative dispute resolution, catering to both experienced mediators and arbitrators seeking to enhance their skills and to professionals aspiring to enter the field.
Javier Ramirez has joined ILR's Scheinman Institute to help lead the new service as its executive manager. His experience in dispute resolution includes 20 years at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) as the former deputy director of field operations. In that role, he mediated disputes in most sectors of the economy, facilitated complex multiparty negotiations, trained internationally and led over 130 U.S. federal mediators. Prior to joining the FMCS, Ramirez spent over 14 years in labor relations, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, resolving disputes and fostering long-term relationships.
"This new service and the hiring of Javier Ramirez provides the Scheinman Institute with the capability to extend its reach and build upon its two decades of experience in dispute resolution," said Harry Katz, the Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining (ILR) and director of the institute.
Parties seeking arbitrators to resolve workplace disputes also will be referred to the AAA, a not-for-profit public service organization with nearly a century of experience in dispute resolution. It offers services across labor, employment, government, international, and commercial sectors.
"It is an honor to partner with the Scheinman Institute on this important initiative and to expand access to fair, efficient dispute resolution services," said Bridget McCormack, president and CEO of the AAA. "This partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the infrastructure for workplace dispute resolution nationwide."
