The OEA Mediation Network provides confidential, non-judgemental mediation and conflict resolution services to OEA Members as a benefit of membership. Our goal is to help union members resolve conflict at the lowest level, improve and increase communication between colleagues, and facilitate dialogue to mend relationships. A mediator facilitates communications, promotes understanding, and helps parties collaboratively problem solve the issues that matter to them.
For further questions about the OEA Mediation Network, reach out to us at 541.743.4154 or email [email protected].
Benefits of Mediation
Free - The OEA Mediation Network is available to all OEA members as a benefit of membership.
Confidential - All parties, including mediators, sign a confidentiality agreement in order to facilitate an open and honest process. Content of meetings and agreements are not shared with anyone other than the parties in mediation.
Less Stressful - The mediators establish communication guidelines to provide safe, open, and honest conversation. The process emphasizes dialogue, understanding, and collaborative problem solving.
Voluntary - Mediation is a completely voluntary process for all parties and may end at any time or for any reason.
Relationship Oriented - Mediation seeks to resolve conflict with solutions that work for all parties. It allows people to work through a difficult experience and improve a relationship with their colleague.
Collaborative - Everyone has a say in the outcome. Disputing parties work together to co-create solutions that will work for everyone.
Mediation Process
Getting Started
To report an issue, call 541.743.4154 or email [email protected]. Our staff member will take a short description of your issue, explain the mediation process, and determine a time for a mediator to contact with you. If the issue presented is not appropriate for mediation, we will refer you to other resources.
A Mediator Will Call (usually within 1 week)
After reporting an initial issue, a mediator or co-mediators will reach out to you directly to learn more about the situation you have experienced. They will explain the mediation process, listen to your concerns, and begin brainstorming possible solutions.
After the initial conversation, the co-mediators will reach out to the other person(s) involved, briefly explain your concern, listen to their perspective and ideas for resolution, and invite them to participate in the mediation process.
The Mediation Session (usually within 2 weeks)
Your mediator will schedule a convenient time for both parties, and will host the mediation session via Zoom. We will return to in-person mediation when it is safe to do so.
The co-mediators will establish communication guidelines to provide a safe space for open dialogue.
During the session, both parties will have an opportunity to share their point of view, describe how they were personally impacted, and begin providing potential solutions.
The co-mediators will encourage all parties to think about possible solutions and design agreements that will meet the needs of everyone moving forward.
The co-mediators will help write the specifics of your agreement and will provide each party with a copy of the agreement.
How long will the process take?
The mediation process generally takes 2-5 weeks from start to finish. There are a number of factors that impact this time frame: the number of parties involved, the complexity of the issue, the amount of preparation needed, and the coordination of the schedules of all parties and co-mediators.
Our mediators are professionally-trained volunteers who are educators from all across Oregon. We work to accommodate you by matching your schedule with the availability of our mediators.
