Negotiated two unique provisions in a client’s collective bargaining agreement that diminish the union's authority to negotiate wage increases. The client’s Board of Directors establishes the same annual percentage wage increases for all employees, including those represented by the union; and as the result of the pandemic, management can unilaterally increase the wages of any union employee who may be adversely affected by an Act of God.

Negotiated several Labor Peace Agreements (LPAs) which were required for a client to submit as part of its license applications in several state and local jurisdictions. A LPA makes it much easier for a union to organize employees because the employer agrees to provide the union with access to the employees, remain neutral during the union’s organizing, and have a card check to determine if the union represents a majority of the employees instead of a NLRB secret ballot election. In order to avoid the aggressive union that represents many employees in the industry involved, I introduced our client to two unions that we have experience with that understand business and are more cooperative.  

Represented a West Virginia aluminum manufacturer in negotiating a favorable collective bargaining agreement with United Steel Workers under very difficult circumstances.  Concurrent with the labor negotiations, the client was confidentially negotiating the sale of that facility. That significant external complication compounded the challenge of negotiation with a very aggressive and strike prone union. It was critical to maintain the confidentiality of the possible sale to prevent any adverse effect on the labor negotiations, while regularly informing the buyer of bargaining progress to maintain its interest in the acquisition. Negotiated an economically advantageous collective bargaining agreement that avoided a strike for the client, which was a significant contributing factor to the facility’s sale.

Represented a multi-plant manufacturer in a series of nationwide arbitrations involving master collective bargaining agreements with different unions that claimed lifetime insurance benefits for retirees. The potential liability for each of these arbitrations was several million dollars.