Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP
Labor Relations and Union Avoidance
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Handled more than 100 NLRB elections in recent years
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Assisted a major healthcare system in negotiating nationwide “Labor Accords” with the California Nurses Association, the Service Employees International Union and the United Nurses Association of California, as well as accompanying collective bargaining agreements
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Assisted large employer in acquiring and divesting several unionized facilities, including “effects bargaining” and the setting of initial terms and conditions of employment
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Assisted major employer in developing and implementing effective responses to union “corporate campaigns”
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Represented clients in numerous union election challenges and objection proceedings
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Vacated a multi-million dollar arbitration award against a major client based upon an alleged benefit liability assumed in acquiring a facility out of bankruptcy. This complex federal court action involved the interaction between bankruptcy and labor law and was finally decided in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
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Obtained numerous arbitration awards upholding the discharges of union employees, including for job errors, poor documentation, attendance, sleeping on the job, poor patient care, poor performance, co-employee harassment and many other forms of misconduct
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Negotiated a groundbreaking “pay for performance” collective bargaining agreement
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Provided legal guidance and support in multiple strike actions, including a strike that lasted over a year
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Defended employer in wage-hour union grievance class action arbitrations, as well as complex contract interpretation issues such as subcontracting and bargaining unit work issues
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Successfully litigated bargaining unit issues, obtained dismissal of ULP charges and ultimately forced Teamsters to withdraw petition on eve of NLRB supervised election at manufacturing and warehousing operation.