Labor & Employment
Our labor and employment law attorneys consistently stay apprised of current and pending statutes, regulations, and litigation that might have an impact on the way you conduct business. We have experience in a wide variety of areas, including collective bargaining, competitive bidding, FMLA, employee discipline, grievances, and workers’ compensation. We regularly draft and update employee handbooks, policies and procedures, and employment contracts, and we can work with you regarding your policies or assist you when trouble arises. We also conduct employment-related investigations and Title IX investigations, serve as counsel in matters before administrative agencies, and represent clients in employment-related litigation.
We have decades of experience providing legal counsel and representation to public schools, municipalities, townships, port authorities, park districts, and other local governments. We also represent individuals and private businesses regarding employment contracts and other personnel concerns.
We invite you to connect with one of our labor and employment law attorneys to discuss your questions in greater detail. We are happy to help you develop a strategy to address the issues you may be facing.
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEYS
Practice Areas
Collective Bargaining
Our attorneys provide at-the-table negotiations, as well as advice regarding negotiation strategy and drafting contract language. We also handle bargaining-related matters such as mediation, public sector conciliation, and fact-finding. We further assist clients in matters related to unfair labor practices charges before the Ohio State Employment Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Board, and when necessary, strike preparation, and securing legal restrictions on picketing and relief for strike misconduct.
Competitive Bidding
With our extensive background in public law, our attorneys are experienced and knowledgeable about Ohio’s competitive bid laws. We often advise school districts and other public clients regarding the situations in which bidding is required, the selection of qualifying bids, and the strengths or weaknesses of challenges to the bid process, and further have successfully defended against such challenges in court.
Employee Discipline
Our experienced employment attorneys often counsel employers on whether proposed employee discipline or discharge is likely to withstand challenge in any number of forums available to employees. We have secured for employers the dismissals of hundreds of claims regarding employee discipline, in court, in grievance arbitrations, and before agencies such as the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio State Employment Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Board.
Employee Handbooks
Employee handbooks are excellent tools for outlining consistent employer practices, and for preserving employer flexibility and management rights such as employment at will. Our attorneys frequently review employee handbooks for compliance with federal and state employment laws, and recommend language and policies to protect employers and their businesses.
Employment Discrimination Defense
Our attorneys frequently defend employers facing charges or lawsuits alleging employment discrimination. Although the law is well-intended to protect employees from workplace discrimination, it is unfortunately common for employers to have to defend against unfounded claims of employment discrimination. Our lawyers have secured the dismissals of hundreds of employment discrimination claims before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in state and federal courts.
FMLA
Our attorneys have counseled both public and private employers on compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act since it became effective in 1994. Our experience with the FMLA includes such matters as eligibility and coverage issues, employee notices, medical certifications, insurance continuation, intermittent leave, concurrent leave, and FMLA abuses.
Grievance Arbitration
Our attorneys have handled hundreds of grievance arbitrations involving employee discharges, employee discipline, and labor contract interpretation disputes. We can assist a client from the preparation of management witnesses through the drafting of post-hearing briefs. We also recognize the occasional appropriateness of resolving disputes before arbitration and through mediation.
OSHA
Spengler Nathanson’s attorneys review employer safety practices to assure compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. We also advise employers regarding OSHA inspections and other dealings with OSHA compliance officers, and hazard abatement, to ensure both worker safety and, wherever possible, the avoidance of fines and enforcement actions.
Public Records and Open Meetings
Spengler Nathanson’s extensive representation of school boards and other local and state governmental bodies has given us a wide range of experience dealing with Ohio’s public records and open meetings laws.
School Law
Our decades-long representation of area school boards has given Spengler Nathanson the opportunity to deal with most legal issues faced by schools. We deal regularly with teacher and administrator contracts, student discipline, special education, competitive bidding, public records and open meetings, religious expression, FERPA, attendance and tuition, and a host of other school concerns.
Unemployment Compensation
Spengler Nathanson’s attorneys frequently advise employers regarding responses to former employees’ claims for unemployment compensation, and represent employers before the Unemployment Compensation Review Commission.
Wage-Hour Law
Spengler Nathanson’s labor attorneys regularly advise both public and private sector clients regarding compliance with federal minimum wage and overtime laws, and the Ohio minimum wage law. We have dealt extensively with such matters as the classification of exempt and non-exempt employees, calculation of regular rate for overtime purposes, pay for training and travel time, and exempt employees salary basis of pay.
Workers Compensation Claims
Spengler Nathanson has an active workers compensation practice, representing employers in administrative hearings before the Industrial Commission and on appeals in court. We represent public and private employers, including school systems and counsel employers on the advisability of contesting claims and on ways to resolve problem claims.