Most joint committees share certain characteristics; for example, they provide for hearings before a committee which they provide for hearings before a committee which consists of an equal number of employer and union appointees. The committee makes final, binding decisions by majority vote. Officials of the local union and representatives of the company involved do not sit on their own cases; attorneys for labor and management as well as the grievant may be present and advise their clients, but they do not present the cases. The NMFA 'joint committee' is something of a misnomer, since it actually consists of between three and five separate committees. The NMFA joint committee disposes of a large volume of grievances; for example, in the Central Conference, the largest of the Teamster Conferences, 555 cases were on the Central States' docket for its March 1984 3-day session, and 142 decisions were rendered. There are numerous advantages to the process; among the most significant is that grievances are decided promptly. But there are also disadvantages: critics dwell principally upon its potential for sacrificing individual rights, and they have charged that ex parte contacts with or lobbying of the committee members can occur. Nonetheless, the procedure is viewed as the legal equivalent of arbitration, because it is the agreed upon method of final adjustment. Twenty-six references are listed.