Based on visits to unionized campuses, this study determined how some imaginative higher education administrators and faculty representatives resolve disputes under a collective bargaining contract. The focus of the study was on the informal working relationships that helped to resolve conflict either within or outside the contractual procedures. Although grievance procedures were studied and discussed, they were considered to provide only the framework within which the parties attempted to resolve their differences. Differences between a procedural grievance (charging that the administration failed to adhere to contractual procedures) and a substantive grievance (charging the administration with making an unjustifiable decision) were also an important aspect of the study. In eight of the nine institutions studied, both management and labor representatives were interviewed and were allowed to pursue a wide variety of topics to determine the unique relationships existing at each institution. Topics included: representation on grievance committees; procedures; fair resolution; secretive vs. open processes; faculty and administrative reactions; union-faculty senate relationship; political considerations; institutional communication; multicampus grievance reviews; and consistency. (LBH)