In an effort to improve the way the agency operates, FMCS recently conducted its first-ever national customer survey. The results were presented by Dr. Thomas Kochan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at FMCS’s 50^th Anniversary Symposium and by Dr. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld at the National Professional Development Seminar.

A total of 1,557 labor and management representatives participated in the confidential survey. Their names were drawn from a national sample of the collective bargaining contract notices on file with FMCS. Based on their responses, the survey participants were divided into two groups, those who had used FMCS’s services and those who had not.

The survey found that FMCS is well-known and well-regarded in the labor-management community, with nearly 95% of FMCS’s potential customers responding that they are aware of the collective bargaining mediation services provided by the agency, and more than two-thirds of the respondents reported overall positive feelings about the agency (33.1% very positive and 38.1% somewhat positive).

For those customers who used FMCS in their most recent negotiations, 91.5% gave an favorable rating to overall assistance provided by the mediator (48.5% excellent, 32.5% very good, 10.5% good). Of those customers who used FMCS’s services, 96.8% indicated that based on their experience with the mediator they would use FMCS again.