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STATE OF NEW JERSEY
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS COMMISSION
RESUME OF PANEL ARBITRATOR
Melissa
H.
Biren
Morris Cty, NJ
Arbitrator and Mediator
GRIEVANCE ARBITRATION EXPERIENCE:
Full-time arbitrator and mediator focusing on the resolution of workplace disputes in the public and private sectors since 2002.
Arbitration rosters: NJ PERC; AAA (Labor & Employment); FMCS; NYS PERB; NYC OCB; The Labor Relations Connection. Designated as Panel Chair under CBA between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Assoc for Minor League Baseball Players, as Special Master under a CBA between NYC Dept. of Education and IUOE Local 891 and as a named arbitrator in several other CBAs. Permanent Panels: AMPTP/SAG-AFTRA; CUNY/PSC; NYC Dept. of Educ./UFT; NJ Dept. of Education Teacher Tenure Panel; NYS §3020-a Tenure Panel; PBA-NYS Disciplinary Panel; Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations/SEIU Local 32BJ; Rutgers University/AAUP-AFT and BHSNJ; Temple University Hospital/PASNAP; and USPS/NRLCA.
MEDIATION AND FACT-FINDING EXPERIENCE:
Served as fact-finder and mediator in connection with various public sector disputes between school districts and unions in NJ; as mediator under Rutgers Univ and AAUP-AFT agreement and as mediator and fact-finder in connection with various workplace disputes in the public and private sectors both before and after litigation has commenced.
INTEREST ARBITRATION EXPERIENCE:
EDUCATION:
JD, magna cum laude, Albany Law Review, Albany Law School
BA with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Harpur College - SUNY Binghamton
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
National Academy of Arbitrators (Chair, DEIB Implementation Committee, former member of Board of Governors, former Chair-NAA NY/NJ Metro Region); NJ Bar Assoc (Labor & Employment Section-Executive Committee Member); NYS Bar Assoc; NJ LERA (past President); Sidney Reitman Labor & Employment Law American Inn of Court.
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OTHER RELEVANT OR EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE:
Publications:
Discipline and Discharge in Arbitration, Second and Third Editions,
Norman Brand and Melissa Biren, Editors-in-Chief (BNA, 2008 and 2015).
Admitted to practice law: NJ, NY and CT. Extensive experience in labor and employment matters as an advocate prior to becoming an arbitrator.
Frequent speaker at labor and employment law conferences, faculty for several AAA training programs and lecturer for the Scheinman Institute-Labor Arbitration Development Program.
PER DIEM FEES:
GRIEVANCE ARBITRATION $
2,700
INTEREST ARBITRATION $
CANCELLATION NOTICE AND FEE (if any):
Full per diem with less than 28 calendar days' written notice of cancellation or postponement. Travel Time: No charge for travel time on the scheduled hearing day. If travel is required the day before/after hearing day, pro rata per diem applies for travel time.