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Labor & Employment

Traditional Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining

Negotiations, bargaining and disputes with unions can be challenging for public and private sector employers of all sizes. We help our clients navigate all aspects of traditional labor relations, from start to finish.

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Clients across the country seek our help to protect and preserve the prerogatives of management. Our attorneys have earned a national reputation for assisting clients during initial union organization efforts and guiding them when labor unions are already established in the workplace. While we are zealous advocates for the rights of employers, we also work constructively with preexisting unions to maintain a positive, inclusive work environment.

The members of our traditional labor team have years of practical experience with labor relations and collective bargaining, including:

  • Handling grievances and labor arbitrations;
  • Representing employers in cases and unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor (DOL), and their state and local equivalents;
  • Developing effective strategies, policies, and procedures to prevent (and, when necessary, respond to) union workplace disruptions in the form of picketing, work stoppages, strikes, lockouts and labor injunctions;
  • Representing the interests of management before union campaigns begin, and when election campaigns are underway;
  • Securing employers’ rights by negotiating clear and unmistakable collective bargaining agreements now to prevent common disputes with unions later; and,
  • Maintaining security and productivity during union workplace disruptions.

We tailor our services to our clients as general corporate labor counsel, the right-hand men and women to existing in-house legal counsel, key collaborators with human resources professionals, and in any other role or capacity that uniquely serves our clients’ needs.

Our Value

Traditional labor relations is not just our job; it is our passion and life calling. We are always prepared to help our clients develop a strategy to achieve specific, favorable goals. We strive to understand the business nature of the client’s positions and “walk a mile” in their shoes, remembering that once a problem is solved or contract negotiations conclude, our client is still running a business. We are available on any day, at any hour, and under any circumstance to resolve incidents, end crises, and solve problems.

Our Clients

We serve union and non-union employers in both the private and public sectors. Our clients work in a diverse array of industries and come in all sizes and footprints. We assist local healthcare groups, regionally prominent construction companies, leading hospitality providers, and internationally based transportation industry innovators—just to name a few. No client is too big or small for us to serve, and no problem is too catastrophic or incidental for us to solve.

Our Focus

We believe that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The best way to help management is to assist non-union employers in maintaining positive employee relations. If unions are already established in our clients’ workplaces, we negotiate (and re-renegotiate) collective bargaining agreements that protect our clients’ rights and clearly spell out the obligations of the union and employees.

We also stay apprised of changes at state and federal agencies such as the NLRB and the DOL, including policy changes that tend to occur with each new presidential administration. Because we are committed to providing our clients with up-to-the-minute advice and counseling, every day we scrutinize the legal periodical headlines and examine newly issued labor-related rules, regulatory interpretations, and court and board decisions. Our blog, HR Legalist, frequently covers traditional labor relations topics and news.

Regardless of who is in the White House or at the DOL or NLRB, there are certain basic rules that employers must always follow. In today’s rapidly changing labor relations landscape, we competently advise and counsel employers on what they can and cannot, and should and should not, do in any given situation.