Our attorneys are experienced in negotiating and interpreting collective bargaining agreements under the EERA and HEERA for faculty and certificated staff as well as classified personnel. We provide advice and counsel on issues affecting labor relations between management and staff and we handle all aspects of labor relations disputes including contract administration (including advice on grievances, handling of arbitrations, contract interpretation) and PERB proceedings (representation cases, unfair practice cases, impasse determination and other matters).
Our negotiators have successfully negotiated thousands of labor agreements and have negotiated virtually every issue within the scope of bargaining, including all forms of wages; hours, work schedules and overtime; health and retirement benefits; leaves; discipline and arbitration procedures; layoff and furlough policies; and a wide variety of negotiable working conditions.
Members of the Firm have experience with impasse (including mediation), fact-finding, strikes, union organizing drives, decertification petitions, and unit modifications. We regularly use our knowledge of the laws affecting changes in labor relations to outline a district’s options, and assist in strategy implementation.
We review and draft proposed revisions to labor agreements to comply with evolving legal requirements and ensure best practices in management. Our audit services draw on our legal expertise in wage and hour, retirement, protected leaves, healthcare, public employee rights, education and privacy laws, as well as a multitude of resources developed over years of experience negotiating labor agreements. We help identify contract interpretation issues that may arise, and offer comprehensive advice for clarifying vague or misleading contract language.
We assist with all phases of the grievance process including review and preparation of grievance responses, planning “level 1” and “level 2” meetings; guidance on compliance with internal grievance procedures, and representation at arbitration.
Our attorneys have processed and responded to all aspects of unfair labor practice charges including: formal settlements, the filing of positions/answers, and hearings. We also have experience with PERB involving seeking an injunction against a strike. We have represented our community college clients several times in unit modification cases before PERB, especially those dealing with changes to the faculty unit.
