Labor & Employment
Labor Relations
Roetzel works with in-house counsel and human resources departments in public entities and private companies to provide efficient and cost-effective representation on the full range of labor relations and union matters.
Roetzel’s labor relations attorneys, many of whom are certified as specialists in employment and labor law by the Ohio State Bar Association, have extensive experience in a wide range of industries.
Our labor relations attorneys help businesses avoid unionization and decertify unions. If a union files a petition for an election, we assist our clients in responding to the organizing drive timely, aggressively, and persuasively. We negotiate – both as the chief spokesperson for the employer and as a resource to the employer's team – and administer collective bargaining contracts. We offer practical solutions for work stoppages, picketing and strikes, and we help employers of all sizes establish and maintain positive employee relations to keep labor problems from occurring.
When disputes arise, we work closely with employers to resolve them quickly. We regularly represent private employers before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and public employers before the Ohio State Employment Relations Board. In addition, we frequently represent companies in grievance and arbitration proceedings, injunctions, and other labor-related litigation.
Roetzel’s labor relations attorneys, many of whom are certified as specialists in employment and labor law by the Ohio State Bar Association, have extensive experience in a wide range of industries. We have helped clients in a variety of industries, such as automotive, airline, newspaper, television, education, tire, construction, and produce. In addition, we have represented employers in contract negotiations and conflict resolution with some of the country’s largest unions, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Teamsters; Ohio Nurses Association; and United Steelworkers.
Our Experience
- Representation of numerous employers in negotiations with various unions, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Teamsters, Ohio Nurses Association, and United Steelworkers
- Negotiated initial contract for public sector employer
- Represented a Fortune 50 domestic automobile manufacturer in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases, as well as NLRB proceedings, appeals, and labor arbitrations
- Represented a private employer before the National Labor Relations Board
- Assisted a public sector employer in a union organizing campaign that resulted in union election loss
- Provided supervisory training to a non-union employer regarding union avoidance
- Represented a private nonprofit employer in arbitration proceedings
- Managed contract negotiation and administration issues for nonprofit organizations, human service departments, Metropark systems, and sheriffs' departments
- Handled contract negotiations and contract administration matters for a number of private sector clients
- Represented private and public employers in union campaigns, labor contract negotiations, and labor arbitrations
- Negotiated a project labor agreement for a state university to construct new university facilities
- Represented air carriers in union arbitrations for pilots, flight attendants, maintenance and ramp workers on diverse issues, including bids, scheduling and overtime calculation
- Led collective bargaining negotiations with various newspaper and television trade and guild unions, including successful negotiation of a new labor agreement that took technological advancements into consideration for the first time
- Advised newspaper clients regarding carrier and independent contractor issues
What We Do
- National Labor Relations Board proceedings
- State Employment Relations Board proceedings
- Union organizing assistance
- Contract negotiation
- Contract administration
- Grievance and arbitration proceedings