Step 4 - Arbitration After receipt of a notice to arbitrate from the Lodge President, designees of the City Manager and the Lodge President shall attempt to agree on an arbitrator. If this attempt is not successful or is waived, the arbitrator shall be selected by the parties making a joint request to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) for a panel list of nine (9) arbitrators with business addresses in Ohio. The parties shall then choose an arbitrator by alternately striking names from the list until such time as one (1) name remains as the arbitrator chosen by the parties. Prior to beginning the striking procedure, either the Employer or the Lodge may reject the list and submit a request for another list from the arbitration tribunal. Each party may only reject the list once. In issuing an award, the arbitrator shall be limited to the enforcement of the specific provisions of the Agreement. The arbitrator may not alter, amend, modify, add to or subtract from the provisions of the Agreement. The question of arbitrability of a grievance may be raised by the Employer or the Lodge before the arbitration hearing on the grounds that the matter is nonarbitrable or beyond the arbitrator's jurisdiction. The first question to be placed before an arbitrator will be whether or not the alleged grievance is within the purview of arbitrability. Thereafter, the alleged grievance will be heard on its own merits before the same arbitrator. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding, subject to appeal under applicable state law. The arbitrator shall be without authority to recommend any right to relief on any alleged grievance occurring at any other time than the agreement period in which the right originated. The arbitrator shall not establish any new or different wage rates not negotiated as part of the Agreement. In case of discharge, suspension or reduction, the arbitrator shall have the authority to award modification of said discipline. Both the Lodge and the Employer shall share equally in the cost of the arbitration proceedings. Any member whose testimony is relevant to the arbitration, shall be released with pay to attend the hearing, provided that the hearing is held during the member's regular work hours. The expenses of any non-member witnesses shall be borne by the party requesting the non-member's attendance at the Arbitration Hearing. The arbitrator shall render in writing his or her findings and the award as quickly as possible within thirty (30) calendar days after the hearing is closed and post-hearing briefs are submitted. The arbitrator shall forward such findings and award to the City Manager, or designee, and to the Lodge President, or designee.
Mandatory Arbitration Except as provided in subsection (h) of this Section 22, any Dispute must be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the following: (a) Either Party may begin arbitration by filing a demand for arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration Rules and concurrently Notifying the other Party of that demand. If the Parties are unable to agree upon a panel of three arbitrators within ten days after the demand for arbitration was filed (and do not agree to an extension of that ten-day period), either Party may request the Denver office of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") to appoint the arbitrator or arbitrators necessary to complete the panel in accordance with the Arbitration Rules. Each arbitrator so appointed shall be deemed accepted by the Parties as part of the panel. (b) The arbitration shall be conducted in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area at a place and time agreed upon by the Parties with the panel, or if the Parties cannot agree, as designated by the panel. The panel may, however, call and conduct hearings and meetings at such other places as the Parties may agree or as the panel may, on the motion of one Party, determine to be necessary to obtain significant testimony or evidence. (c) The panel may authorize any and all forms of discovery upon a Party's showing of need that the requested discovery is likely to lead to material evidence needed to resolve the Dispute and is not excessive in scope, timing, or cost. (d) The arbitration shall be subject to the Federal Arbitration Act and conducted in accordance with the Arbitration Rules to the extent that they do not conflict with this Section 22. The Parties and the panel may, however, agree to vary to provisions of this Section 22 or the matters otherwise governed by the Arbitration Rules. (e) The arbitration hearing shall be held within 60 days after the appointment of the panel. The panel's final decision or award shall be made within 30 days after the hearing. That final decision or award shall be made by unanimous or majority vote or consent of the arbitrators constituting the panel, and shall be deemed issued at the place of arbitration. The panel's final decision or award shall be based on this Agreement and applicable law. (f) The panel's final decision or award may include injunctive relief in response to any actual or impending breach of this Agreement or any other actual or impending action or omission of a Party under or in connection with this Agreement. (g) The panel's final decision or award shall be final and binding upon the Parties, and judgment upon that decision or award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The Parties waive any right to apply or appeal to any court for relief from the preceding sentence or from any decision of the panel made before the final decision or award. (h) Nothing in this Section 22 limits the right of either Party to apply to a court having jurisdiction to (i) enforce the agreement to arbitrate in accordance with this Section 22, (ii) seek provisional or temporary injunctive relief, in response to an actual or impending breach of the Agreement or otherwise so as to avoid an irreparable damage or maintain the status quo, until a final arbitration decision or award is rendered or the Dispute is otherwise resolved, or (iii) challenge or vacate any final arbitration decision or award that does not comply with this Section 22. In addition, nothing in this Section 22 prohibits the Parties from resolving any Dispute (in whole or in part) by agreement. The panel may proceed to an award notwithstanding the failure of any Party to participate in such proceedings. The prevailing Party in the arbitration proceeding may be entitled to an award of reasonable attorneys' fees incurred in connection with the arbitration in such amount, if any, as determined by the panel in its discretion. The costs of the arbitration shall be borne equally by the Parties unless otherwise determined by the panel in its award. The panel shall be empowered to impose sanctions and to take such other actions as it deems necessary to the same extent a judge could impose sanctions or take such other actions pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and applicable law. Each party agrees to keep all Disputes and arbitration proceedings strictly confidential except for disclosure of information required by applicable law which cannot be waived. This Section 22 shall not preclude the Parties at any time from mutually agreeing to pursue non-binding mediation of the Dispute.
Dispute Resolution; Arbitration (a) At the option of Company or Executive, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, any dispute, controversy or question arising under, based on or relating to this Agreement, or any breach or failure to comply with the terms hereof (each a “Dispute”), shall be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules (the “AAA Rules”). Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, arbitration of any Dispute shall be conducted before a single arbitrator selected by the Parties and the forum and venue for such arbitration shall be AAA’s Los Angeles Regional Center in Los Angeles, California. Each Party hereby submits to AAA and the selected forum for the arbitration of any Dispute, waives any objection to the venue of such arbitration, and agrees that service of process and other notices, pleadings and documents in any arbitration or proceeding hereunder may be delivered to a Party in accordance with the provisions governing “Notices” in this Agreement. (b) If the Parties are unable to agree upon a neutral arbitrator within thirty (30) days after a Party notifies the other Party in writing of its intent to submit a Dispute to arbitration, either Party may apply to AAA for the appointment of an arbitrator or, if AAA is not then in existence or declines to act, either Party may apply to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of any county in the State of California for the appointment of a neutral arbitrator to hear the Parties and settle the Dispute and such Judge is hereby authorized to make such appointment. (c) If the Parties so agree in writing, and subject to the consent of the single arbitrator, hearings and proceedings conducted in the arbitration of any Dispute hereunder may be conducted remotely by secure video conferencing technology that is acceptable to the Parties. (d) The decision or award of the arbitrator shall be in writing and shall set forth detailed reasoning for the award. Discovery shall be conducted expeditiously, bearing in mind the objective of limiting discovery and expediting the decision or award of the arbitrator at the most reasonable cost and expense to the Parties. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final, conclusive and binding on the Parties and no action at law or in equity shall be instituted or, if instituted, prosecuted by either Party other than to enforce the award of the arbitrator. Judgment upon an award rendered pursuant to such arbitration may be entered in any court having jurisdiction or application may be made to such court for a judicial acceptance of the award and/or an order of enforcement, as the case may be.