Caucusing in the Men’s Room
Mediators frequently use a caucus to meet separately with the management or the union negotiating committee, or one or both head negotiators. A caucus provides the mediator with the opportunity to share and/or gather confidential information in an effort to find a resolution for the dispute. Sometime labor or management will ask the mediator to call a caucus. The mediator will readily agree because a party asking for a caucus is very likely prepared to make a move toward settlement. A mediator would also agree because caucusing is a favorite mediator technique.
In this photo, FMCS mediator Gil Seldon is caucusing with the union negotiating committee in the men’s room. This caucus may have been arranged earlier or it might simply be opportunistic on the mediator’s part.
In the photo, the mediator is wearing a white shirt and tie. The men’s hats suggest this caucus occurred in the 1950s, and meeting in men’s room implies that there there no women on the union committee. The caucus occurred in the main Federal Building in Cleveland, Ohio.
This post was submitted by Jerome T. Barrett. Dr. Barrett donated his collection pertaining to his career as a labor mediator, commissioner, and director of the Office of Technical Services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).
