Which of the following is an example of mediation?

Question

A) Employees at a hand lotion factory were being forced to work overtime hours without being compensated for the extra time they put in. Their union representatives had addressed the issue up through the proper steps with management and still had not found a solution. So both sides agreed to see a neutral third party, who would listen to them and then make a decision that both sides would be bound to.
B) Employees at a pencil factory had not received a raise in three years. Union representatives had taken the issue through proper channels—the grievance committee and collective bargaining—and still had not reached an agreement with management. Both sides agreed to see a neutral third party, who would listen to them, make suggestions, and encourage the sides to reach an agreement.
C) Employees of a sawmill were pulling double shifts because the company was buying logs from many sources. There had been several near-accidents with the dangerous saws because workers were so tired. Union representatives wanted management to either buy fewer logs or hire a full second shift. The union asked the shop steward to take up the situation with management.
D) Railway engineers and conductors were angry that their employer was hiring nonunion engineers and conductors to run some short trips with nonhazardous cargo. The union suspected that sooner or later, all union engineers and conductors would be replaced by nonunion workers. So they called a strike. Minutes before the strike was set to begin, the president of the United States stepped in and forced the engineers and conductors to keep working for 80 days while the union representatives and management negotiated the issue.
E) Underwater welders for a shipmaking company were concerned that their employer was asking for longer and longer dives, making conditions unsafe for the welders. The employer knew that agreeing to shorter dives would result in a longer welding process, requiring expensive overtime hours. So the welders agreed to work the extra hours and give up the extra overtime pay they had fought so hard for the previous year in exchange for shorter, safer dive times.

Answer 1

Answer: B
Explanation: B) Mediation is the process in which a neutral third party, a mediator, listens to both sides in a dispute, makes suggestions, and encourages the parties to agree on a solution.