The evidence that it didn t work was that six weeks after the strike, the United States and Canada parted company. Everybody is concerned about convincing other members of their organization they did the best they could - both management and union leaders. By the time the two parties reach mediation , there is hostility and tension between them. Oftentimes, one party or the other will refuse to meet with a mediator or resume bargaining. This doesn t show freedom or autonomy of the participants ability to assure a resolution of the dispute because a third party is now involved in the negotiations.
Arbitration also uses a third party, but much differently.
When impasse is reached and arbitration is the only alternative left, I would think that neither side would be completely satisfied with the outcome. How could either party be happy about this process. I think the best process to use is integrative bargaining. Management and the union should have no problem determining what the common issues are. By respecting each others position and being willing to reach agreement in order to accommodate a common goal, everybody wins.