FMCS | 250 E Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20427 | 202-606-8100 | www.fmcs.gov

NEWS RELEASE

Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 Contact: Greg Raelson

For Immediate Release Director, Congressional & Public Affairs

Website: www.fmcs.gov Phone: (202) 606-8081

Pre-Conference Kicks Off Runup to FMCS 2022 Virtual NLMC

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 28, 2022) – The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) conducted 

the first of six virtual pre-conference workshop events today in the runup to the two-day National LaborManagement Conference (NLMC), July 12-13.

Pre-Conference events are 100% virtual webinars and are occurring each month until the main

conference at no extra cost to NLMC registrants.

Today’s session, titled “Cognitive Bias and Conflict”, was attended by more than 100 registrants, and 

was led by FMCS Center for Conflict Resolution and Education staff Valerie Harragin and Krystil Smith. 

The workshop explored how unconscious bias about race, gender, class, age, and other human traits 

negatively impact the ability to solve problems and make decisions. 

Upcoming pre-conference workshops include “New Bargaining Units: Challenges for Both Sides,” “From 

Aristotle to Anchoring: Persuasion in Negotiations,” “Keys to Effective Advocacy in Labor Arbitration,” 

“Why Neuroscience Matters in Dealing with Conflict,” and “Combating Workplace Burnout.”

FMCS announced the opening of registration for July’s NLMC and the pre-conference events on Jan. 20. 

The NLMC is the nation’s premier labor-relations biennial event where hundreds of labor and 

management leaders, industrial relations practitioners, neutrals, advocates, and academics converge to 

learn, explore, and discuss how the health challenges and technology solutions of the day are 

transforming the way today's workplaces operate. 

The theme of the 2022 NLMC is “Future@Work: Reimagining the Workplace.” Registrants will learn how 

to overcome challenges, improve workplace efficiency, and increase worker retention, with briefings on 

the latest essential bargaining techniques and critical updates on the labor and employment landscape. 

Participants will also gain valuable insights into new directions, technology, and trends in the changing 

world of work.

In 2020 FMCS announced that NLMC, originally scheduled in person in Chicago over three days, would 

be conducted entirely virtually as a two-day online conference due to protect the health and safety of 

attendees and FMCS staff from the risks posed by COVID-19.

The virtual NLMC in 2020 was one the largest labor-management conferences in the history of FMCS, 

with nearly 1500 registered attendees. That event, titled “Future@Work: The Collaborative Connected 
FMCS | 250 E Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20427 | 202-606-8100 | www.fmcs.gov

Workplace,” was an overwhelming success due to the array of timely, interesting keynote address and 

workshop programs and was efficiently managed in the virtual space by FMCS staff.

The 2020 virtual NLMC featured a wide array of experts, decision-makers and notable names in the 

world of industrial relations including keynote speakers AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, National 

Labor Relations Board Chairman John Ring and Sr. Vice President of Labor Relations for Albertson’s 

grocery chain Daniel Dosenbach to name a few.

Registration for the FMCS 2022 Virtual NLMC is only $75. To register, click HERE. Information and 

complimentary registration included for the monthly pre-conference events can be found HERE.

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The U.S. Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS) is the nation’s premier public agency for 

dispute resolution and conflict management. FMCS was created by Congress as a neutral and 

independent government agency upon enactment of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (TaftHartley Act) and mandated to resolve industrial conflict and promote labor-management peace and 

cooperation, minimizing the impact of these disputes on the free flow of commerce. With headquarters

in Washington, D.C. and offices across the country, the agency has a proud track record of decades of 

effective dispute resolution and conflict management services for employers and unions across industries 

and work activities in the private, public, and federal sectors. FMCS is also recognized for its success 

facilitating negotiated rulemaking processes and for its robust employment mediation program in the 

federal sector as well as its global program, partnering with more than 60 countries to provide 

international consulting and training. For more on FMCS or to request services, visit www.fmcs.gov
FMCS | 250 E Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20427 | 202-606-8100 | www.fmcs.gov

(Jan. 28, 2022) Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) Center for Conflict Resolution 

and Education staff Krystil Smith (top) and Valerie Harragin lead a virtual webinar titled 

“Cognitive Bias and Conflict” as part of the pre-conference runup to the FMCS 2022 Virtual 

National Labor-Management Conference.