Labor And Employment Issues
We have represented municipal employers including Marinette County, school boards, towns and villages in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and private employers in those communities for over 25 years in all manners of labor relations matters. This has included the negotiation of dozens of collective bargaining agreements, representation of all of these employers with respect to the administration of those contracts including contract interpretation, grievance resolutions, and contested arbitrations. We represent employers who are governed by the Wisconsin Municipal Employer Relations Act, the Michigan Elliot-Larson Civil Rights Act, and Wisconsin, Michigan and Federal labor laws. We have assisted employers with respect to the establishment of employment personnel policies in a large number of areas, including especially sexual harassment, Americans With Disabilities Act, and Family Medical Leave Act compliance, and compliance with a wide range of State and Federal education law requirements.
Employment Law - We work with individual and business clients to determine whether or not an employee's legal rights have been violated. We represent private and public sector employers in all aspects of the employer/employee relationship, from pre-hire to post-termination. We also work with employers to help them avoid liability before any actions are taken which may give rise to a potential claim. We litigate from pre-suit through appeal any employment claims on behalf of our clients.
Our areas of representation include:
- Administrative representation before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and similar state agencies
- American with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims and compliance
- Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, or national origin under state and federal law
- Employment contracts and covenants not to compete
- Employment handbooks
- Nonsubscriber litigation
- OSHA and state occupational health and safety laws
- Retaliation claims
- State and Federal Wage and Hour Laws
- Wrongful termination
Labor Law/Management Labor Relations - We provide advice and representation to both nonunion and union employers in dealing with their employees and the unions that may represent them. Our firm represents employers locally and nationally in collective bargaining, labor arbitration, labor disputes, labor legislation and regulation, labor relations board proceedings, unfair labor practices, union relations, wage and hour laws, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
We take a proactive approach with our employment and labor relations clients in both the public and private sectors. We attempt to negotiate contracts that are fair and balanced and to administer those contracts in a reasonable and predictable way. Labor relations matters comprise a significant portion of our legal services.