Iowa Code Title I. State Sovereignty and Management [Chs. 1-38D] § 20.20. Mediation

In the absence of an impasse agreement negotiated pursuant to section 20.19 or the failure of either party to utilize its procedures, one hundred twenty days prior to the certified budget submission date, or one hundred twenty days prior to May 31 of the year when the collective bargaining agreement is to become effective if public employees represented by the employee organization are teachers licensed under chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 3, and the public employer is a school district or area education agency, the board shall, upon the request of either party, appoint an impartial and disinterested person to act as mediator. If the public employer is a community college, and in the absence of an impasse agreement negotiated pursuant to section 20.19 or the failure of either party to utilize its procedures, one hundred twenty days prior to May 31 of the year when the collective bargaining agreement is to become effective, the board, upon the request of either party, shall appoint an impartial and disinterested person to act as mediator. If the public employer is not subject to the budget certification requirements of section 24.17 or other applicable sections and in the absence of an impasse agreement negotiated pursuant to section 20.19, or the failure of either party to utilize its procedures, one hundred twenty days prior to the date the next fiscal or budget year of the public employer commences, the board, upon the request of either party, shall appoint an impartial and disinterested person to act as a mediator. It shall be the function of the mediator to bring the parties together to effectuate a settlement of the dispute, but the mediator may not compel the parties to agree.