Interest Arbitration in the Federal Service

The binding decisions of the Federal Service Impasses Panel are examined through logistic regression and discriminate function analysis. A sample of eighty-four issues decided by the Panel between 1987 and 1999 were coded for content to identify factors influencing Panel decision making. Seven standards are posited as having influence over Panel decisions. The article concludes that the decision processes of the Panel are subject to various arguments used by labor and management, and the impact of these processes on Panel decision making varies by party. Further, final offer procedures are the dominant procedure used by the Panel. Finally, it appears the Panel may weight the arguments of the parties differently depending on the issue in dispute.