Labor Relations Attorneys

Prevailed at arbitrations involving the discharge of hospitality employees for covertly threatening a supervisor, patient neglect and poor performance.
After successfully representing a client through two union elections, the union filed a third petition, which it won. We then helped the client negotiate an initial five-year agreement, which not only maintained many of the client’s management rights to operate the plant, but kept its labor costs lower than anticipated.
Provided strike preparation and planning advice for clients in connection with expiring collective bargaining agreements in unions in several states across the country.
For the last major china manufacturer in the United States, we persuaded an arbitrator that shipping products to an intermediate warehouse where non-bargaining unit employees packed and shipped specific orders was permissible.
Guided a theft of time investigation that resulted in the successful termination of 12 of 18 department employees and won all but two of the discharge arbitrations. We also successfully defended the company's decision to contract out the department's bargaining unit work as well as numerous related unfair labor practice charges.
Represented a variety of manufacturing and production services companies in union certification and decertification elections.
Defended a unit clarification petition which sought to join a recently acquired group of non-union employees into a union-represented unit that performed identical work.
Defended unfair labor practice charges and avoided NLRB complaint alleging that the employer unlawfully implemented its last, best and final offer.
Helped a mining industry client negotiate two labor agreements that materially changed medical benefit plans for active and retired employees.
Completed the negotiation of the first collective bargaining agreement for a financially troubled health care employer while the employer unilaterally implemented numerous changes to avoid bankruptcy and avoided a NLRB complaint on all related unfair labor practice charges.
Helped to incorporate two new companies, and then prepared service and supply contracts between the two new companies and the client to reduce the risk that the new companies would be covered by the client’s collective bargaining agreement.
Defended approximately 50 grievances protesting management’s decision to contract out bargaining unit work, which involved millions of dollars of lost wage opportunity claims for bargaining unit employees.
Over the past 15 years, we have handled more than 60 subcontracting arbitrations with the USW for a mining and soda ash processing facility in Wyoming.
Represented a major steel company in several subcontracting arbitration cases dealing with the contracting out of janitorial services, installation of new systems based on the purchase of capital equipment, and plant and equipment repairs.
Demonstrated the supervisory status of numerous employees prior to representation elections in industries such as acute care, long-term care, manufacturing and chemical production.
Represented a major utility in a series of arbitrations with the IBEW involving contracting out of meter reading work and transfer of bargaining unit work to related entities where there is no union representation.
Represented a leading global communications company in the successful withdrawal of four union petitions and the defeat, by a large margin, of five union elections in cities across the nation.
Counseled multiple health-care employers during union organizing drives.
Represented a health care employer in multi-bargaining unit petitions involving nurses, service maintenance, skilled maintenance, office/clerical and technical employees. Handled numerous bargaining unit issues including supervisory status and the appropriate slotting of employees into the appropriate bargaining unit positions.
Argued lead operators out of the bargaining unit as statutory supervisors and led employer to election victory by 3-1 ratio, thus avoiding the obligation to recognize the union as a bargaining agent.
Avoided union representation following multi-plant acquisition and implementation of employee benefit reduction of medical and retirement benefits during union organizing campaign.
Defended a contracting-out grievance that saved the company millions of dollars.
Guided a chemical client whose entire workforce signed union membership cards in support of union organizing efforts.
Represented the largest university in Pittsburgh in contracting out issues where work was moved from one bargaining unit to another to take advantage of more favorable terms and conditions for performance of the work.
Negotiated a shutdown and subcontracting of a hospitality employer's in-house laundry operation.
Negotiated various collective bargaining agreements for real estate management companies.
Defended a discharged case where the employee had been terminated for a reason that was critical to the employer’s business. The evidence was based, in large part, on the testimony of fellow union employees.
Negotiated a consumer directed health plan as part of the single corporate health plan for all union-represented employees covered by numerous collective bargaining agreements.
Negotiated an early retirement package that led to reduction of nearly one-half of the bargaining unit. Negotiations also included the remaining operations.
Guided a broad investigation into employee workplace drug use that resulted in the termination of 16 employees and the successful defense of numerous discharge grievances.
Guided a client through a temporary replacement of its workforce. We successfully defended and avoided NLRB complaints of related unfair labor practice charges and obtained 10(j) injunctive relief in federal court to end union-related violence.
Negotiated a three-year collective bargaining agreement with a two-year extension contingent upon the completion of the acquisition of a competitor.
Restructured employer-related costs by negotiating the termination or freezing of retiree medical benefits and defined benefit pension plans, wage rates and job consolidations in manufacturing, health care, chemical, mining, public utility and automotive parts supply industries.

TRADITIONAL LABOR RELATIONS