The problem is to determine whether there exists a common body of procedures being followed by labor/management arbitrators in the United States. The agreement to arbitrate grievance disputes is the quid pro quo for an agreement not to strike. Currently some 95 per cent of all United States labor agreements provide for arbitration as the final step in the grievance procedure. Arbitration has increased at a steady pace over the years. The American Arbitration Association reports a 330 per cent increase in the number of cases between 1966 and 1975. A study, by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, has found a 300 per cent increase in cases closed between 1968 and 1978. This increase in the use of arbitration to resolve industrial disputes shows the need to analyze the hearing procedures. The results of a study of this type are useful to all concerned in the labor arbitration process.