Practice Strengths

The new American economy and recent rift in the nation's labor movement have changed the employment landscape dramatically. Unionized employers require innovative approaches to secure necessary operational efficiencies and economic relief. Non-union employers are faced with new organizing strategies, particularly in the healthcare, hospitality and telecommunication industries. Our labor lawyers can help you understand the impact this new labor movement may have on your workforce and your bottom line.

At BakerHostetler, we believe that the best labor relations policies are those that prevent the need to battle with the government, unions or employees. Our focus is always on helping our clients maintain positive relationships with their workforce within the parameters of their business needs and corporate culture. Protecting our client's credibility as an employer is our number one concern. Our reputation for credibility, integrity and results is well known in the labor-management community.

Our experienced labor relations lawyers assist clients with the full range of traditional labor law issues, including:
 

• Counseling clients on labor relations strategy and day-to-day employment decisions
• Employee relations audits and assessments
• Representation and decertification petitions
• Labor contract administration
• Grievance/arbitrations (including rights and interest arbitration
• Collective bargaining
• Preparing for and dealing with picketing, strikes, lockouts and other economic tactics
• National Labor Relations Board practice
• Maintaining a positive employee environment
• Preparing for and responding to union corporate campaigns

In addition, we also counsel management on labor relations issues arising from mergers and acquisitions, shutdowns, relocations and other business reorganizations.

Our focus is always on helping our clients develop and maintain positive relationships with their employees.

Recognition

• We have been sought out for insight on labor relations issues by national media, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, “Good Morning America,” Bloomberg News Radio, The Los Angeles Times and other publications across the country.
• Eleven of our employment and labor partners are listed in The Best Lawyers in America.
• Our employment and labor practice is ranked among the leading practices in Ohio and Florida (Chambers USA, 2012).
• Chambers USA 2012 lists a total of nine Florida and Ohio employment partners as leaders in employment law.
• The Lawdragon/Human Resource Executive list of the nation's top employment lawyers includes two members of the team, with one attorney named among the nation's top 10 labor lawyers and another attorney listed among the nation's 100 most powerful corporate employment lawyers.
• Employment lawyers have received special regional recognition in Florida Trend's “Legal Elite" publication.

Labor Relations Experience

• Represented major metropolitan newspapers throughout the United States in collective bargaining designed to achieve workforce reductions and operating efficiencies; in hundreds of arbitrations; in numerous proceedings before the NLRB; and in solving day-to-day problems in such diverse fields as production, circulation and advertising.
• Represented an aerospace manufacturer in an organization drive by four unions involving more than 5,000 "gray collar" employees.
• Reduced by 90 percent the number of bargaining sessions needed to reach agreement between International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and a broadcast television station group through the use of interest bargaining, a “tradeoff” approach that is the exception rather than the rule in union negotiations.
• Successfully reached an agreement with the International Association of Machinists in negotiations involving multiple sites in Massachusetts and Texas for a large aerospace and defense manufacturer.
• Represented a division of a publicly traded company in the decertification of a union which had represented its employees for over 50 years.
• Handled contract negotiations for a municipal transit authority, avoiding a threatened strike by 600 drivers, mechanics and other employees, enabling the client to address operational inefficiencies.
• Assisted a large municipality in its negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police, resulting in a favorable three-year contract.

About Our Employment Team
Ranked among the Top Employment Law Firms by Workforce Management Magazine, BakerHostetler counsels many of the nation's leading companies on all aspects of employment law. With more than 100 lawyers coast-to-coast, BakerHostetler's Employment and Labor Group represents numerous FORTUNE 500 companies, and for many of these companies, we serve as their national employment and labor counsel. Our comprehensive employment practice is comparable in size and depth to top employment law boutiques, but we offer the broader resources of a leading, full-service firm.