Labor Negotiations & Other Union Matters
Employer-employee relations are long term, which makes it critical for management to build strong and effective working relationships with its workforce.
Serving as labor negotiators and advisors to cities, public agencies, special districts, school and community college districts, as well as private companies, Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK) Labor & Employment attorneys offer comprehensive guidance on labor relations, union negotiations and employment-related matters. We focus on meeting our clients’ objectives while they build and maintain strong labor relations, taking a firm but fair approach to achieve long-term, successful employment relationships and avoid conflicts.
Comprehensive Services
BBK attorneys work closely with employers to define parameters, establish goals and develop negotiating strategies to achieve those goals. We represent clients throughout negotiations, keeping them actively involved and informed. Our lawyers advise on policies, practices and financial terms. We draft contract language, negotiate collective bargaining agreements and analyze proposals from employee organizations. We successfully represent clients in negotiations with many of the most powerful unions, including teachers, police, fire and other public safety personnel unions.
Our attorneys regularly represent employers before the NLRB, the Public Employment Relations Board, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the EEOC, the DOL and State Labor Commissioner, and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, as well as before public agency personnel boards, civil service commissions and in federal and state courts. Further, we are experienced in impasse procedures, resolving grievances, handling arbitration proceedings, representing clients in union-related proceedings and elections, and defending clients against unfair labor practice charges.
Proactive and Cost-Effective Guidance
Our firm takes a proactive, preventative approach, offering guidance on the effectiveness of current contract language and reviewing changes in the law that may affect contract terms and our clients’ employment practices. We advise councils and boards on the negotiation process and the role of elected officials in that process, as well as offer manager training on collective bargaining issues, risk avoidance strategies, and the interpretation, implementation and administration of employment policies, practices and contract terms.
With an extensive database of workable and effective provisions for memoranda of understanding and collective bargaining agreements, we draw from a wealth of resources, passing on significant cost savings to our clients.
