Labor Law

Dealing with labor unions presents employers with unique challenges. While some of these challenges may involve issues of labor and benefit cost, unions also attempt to limit an employer’s flexibility to manage the business or institution and to make changes in operations necessary to support organization objectives and success. Our attorneys have experience representing private sector businesses and public employers in all aspects of labor law. We understand that labor issues require an immediate, effective response, and we ensure our availability to support our clients with vigorous and responsive representation whenever it is needed.

We conduct union avoidance training for many organizations and we have found that even when union organizing has begun, it can be successfully overcome without a lengthy campaign and election. Our experience appearing before the National Labor Relations Boards provides us with a deep knowledge of the process in which labor issues are handled, and we leverage this experience to develop strategic, creative solutions that best address our clients’ needs. For employers with labor contracts, grievance handling and arbitration require careful analysis of contract interpretation, past practice and management rights. We are passionate about supporting our clients in this matter, with the goal of resolving contract issues in their favor and, when needed, providing successful defense to arbitrations. We serve many different clients with creative and cost effective solutions in areas including:

• Union avoidance training
• Union organizing campaigns
• Providing advice to unionized employers seeking to discipline or discharge employees
• Contract interpretation
• Grievance handling and arbitration
• Labor negotiations, either as chief negotiator or offering behind the scenes advice
• Unfair labor practices before the NLRB and PLRB
• Labor injunctions
• Labor litigation
• Arbitration under the Multi-Employer Pension Plan Amendments Act for unionized employers withdrawing from multi-employer plans
• Decertification