Harvard Professors' Attempts Fail to Resolve NFL Strike

Two Harvard Law professors last Friday failed to bring together National Football League Players' Association and Management Council representatives for an informal meeting aimed at ending the three-week-old players' strike.

The attempt by Roger Fisher, Wilson Professor of Law, and Paul C. Weiler, professor of Law, marked the last effort by players and owners to resolve their differences without federal mediation, the route often used in national strikes.

The groups announced this weekend that they will now turn to the government and request a federally appointed mediator to resolve player salary issues.

Although both professors declined to discuss how they had become involved. Fisher and Weiler are renowned expert negotiators.

Alternatives Sought

"It was agreed between the union and the league that they would try the idea of a quiet, working session in someplace out of the way," Weiler said yesterday. "Certainly, the reason for the meeting was that something besides orthodox negotiations would be useful," he added.

According to an October 10 article in The New York Times, the professors chose an old Victorian estate house in North Andover for the meeting. The talks were stalled when Ed Garvey, the executive director of the players' union, failed to arrive. According to the Times, Garvey said he was not informed of the meeting early enough to prepare properly.

Weiler said the players "had a lot of reasons" for canceling the meeting but cited nothing specific. He added that he would not expect the two groups to try such a meeting again.

Getting to Yes

He attributed his own involvement to his experience with labor law. "I've been conducting a very informal program of research in sports law at the Law School, which includes some extensive research of contract negotiations by some students."

He added, "What I was to contribute were views of substantive issues, while professor Fisher was to contribute alternative views of getting to the positions."

Fisher is the co-author of "Getting to Yes," a book that sets the guidelines for his method of "principled negotiations."

In the book, Fisher explains. "The method of principled negotiations is to decide the issues on their merits rather than through a haggling process focused in what each said says it will and won't do."

Fisher yesterday refused to comment on the future of the negotiations. "I don't predict I work on these things it's a tough situation," he said.