This study, which focused on the negotiating process for collective and the role of Federal Meditation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) mediators in helping employers and unions reach agreement in collective bargaining contracts, was first conducted by CSR in 1997 and then repeated with modifications in 2000 and 2004. Working with researchers at the Sloan School of Management at MIT, CSR helped design a study to randomly sample contracts recently negotiated between employers and unions. Interviews focused on the respondent's awareness and use of FMCS, on employer and union opinions with respect to FMCS participation, on the conduct of negotiations during a specific collective bargaining period, and on a set of negotiation outcomes. The 2004 interview included an additional focus on interest based bargaining. Telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from both union and management (1,557 interviews in 1997, 2,004 interviews in 2000, and 1,718 interviews in 2003). Contracts were stratified by sector (public and private), size of bargaining unit, and whether or an FMCS mediator was involved with the negotiation.