When dealing with labor issues, every organization’s objectives are different. Whether your company needs to effectively deal with your unionized workforce or hopes to avoid union representation, we can help. Often employers are not aware that labor law can have a substantial impact on their business even with a nonunion workforce. Our team takes an individualized approach to each client partnership. We can assist with everything from background advice to serving as your chief negotiator at the bargaining table, and from union avoidance strategies to union contract compliance and enforcement.

In whatever capacity, we assist employers in building and stabilizing effective labor relations. We help you manage labor issues proactively, through training, policy, and contract bargaining, and respond decisively when issues arise. Whatever your situation, we represent you with the insight, business knowledge, and legal savvy you need to reach your goals.

Lathrop GPM routinely represents regional, national and international employers in matters involving alleged unfair labor practices and other traditional labor matters. We also represent employers in matters involving federal and state labor laws, union campaigns and elections, grievance and arbitration proceedings, collective bargaining negotiations, strikes and union contract interpretations whether in court, administrative proceedings or alternative dispute procedures.

Experience

  • Assisting clients with union contract negotiations, either behind-the-scenes strategy or acting as spokesperson at bargaining table, in several states. Unions involved in these negotiations include the Teamsters, Sheet Metal Workers, Steelworkers, Service Employees, American Guild of Musical Artists and others
  • Representing employers in grievance arbitration hearings on issues ranging from individual discipline/termination cases through contract interpretation issues which broadly impact the employer’s method of operation ― for example ― recently, successfully defended the employer’s right to assign work on a production line to a lower-paid classification of worker, despite past practice of using a higher-paid classification, thus allowing the company to reduce production cost for one of its core products.

  • Advising and representing employers in NLRB unfair labor practice investigations and hearings in several states
  • Assisting non-union transportation company in taking over business from unionized carriers, including addressing picketing by the displaced union workers, in multiple states
  • Serving as labor counsel to private university facing adjunct faculty union election at NLRB, obtaining rare vote against union representation, bucking a national trend of union organizing success with adjuncts
  • Serving as labor counsel to employers facing union organizing in varied industries, including higher education, health care, charter schools, trade schools, campaign, providing strategic planning, management training and NLRB interface
  • Providing bargaining and other strategy and oversight to financial services employer for an NLRB Decertification election, assisting client to manage and successfully achieve employees’ objective of dropping union after more than 30 years of representation
  • Managing union Decertification campaign for large health care provider
  • Serving as lead negotiator on union contracts for employers in health care, education, higher education, automobile dealership and automobile service companies, trucking companies, and nonprofit service entities
  • Representing public community hospital in labor negotiations with two different unions
  • Representing numerous unionized employers in grievance arbitration
  • Defending employer against union’s series of strategic unfair labor practice charges
  • Advising national nonprofit on union election campaign and union avoidance strategies
  • Providing union avoidance advice to health care clinic in connection with acquisition of additional clinic
  • Resisting union organizing campaign targeting public employer
  • Defending employers in Taft-Hartley Multiemployer Benefits Fund litigation
  • Defending employers against unions’ motions to compel arbitration
  • Providing legal advice and counsel to employers on labor union issues in business mergers and acquisition transactions
Meet the Team

Primary Contacts