Labor & Employment

Employers are regularly faced with having to react to new labor and employment laws and regulations and significant changes to existing laws and regulations in an increasingly competitive business environment. In this challenging climate, Cohen & Grigsby’s Labor and Employment Group provides services for employers across the full spectrum of labor, employment, and human resource law. We focus on such key areas as union issues, the labor and employment aspects of business transactions, employment contracts, employment litigation defense, workers’ compensation issues, avoidance of employment-related legal actions, and management and supervisor training. In addition, we conduct audits and help our clients develop, implement and update employment policies and practices that are progressive and compliant. We provide these services – to unionized and non-union employers – in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, finance, high technology, non-profit, and the service sector.

Motivated by Cohen & Grigsby’s Culture of Performance, our Labor and Employment attorneys provide comprehensive services. To that end, our group works closely with the Firm’s transactional and benefits attorneys to assure that we meet all client legal needs in this discipline.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Our ADR attorneys understand the business and human trauma caused by litigation and work with the litigants to fashion creative solutions to enable litigants and others with disputes to reach closure. Our ADR attorneys draw on decades of practical and legal experience to evaluate and facilitate the journey to reaching settlement. For over two decades our team members have mediated, arbitrated, and evaluated scores of cases in a wide variety of industries and practice areas.

Collective Bargaining and Grievance Arbitration

We regularly represent employers in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements. Our broad experience in the negotiation process allows employers to get the best possible economic settlement and to creatively negotiate contract language that ensures the employer can run its business in a manner that allows for greater workforce productivity.

Employment Law & Human Resource Advice

We partner with employers to navigate the ever-growing and changing set of employment laws and regulations applicable to businesses. We have broad expertise with the ADEA, ADA, FMLA, Title VII and the other employment laws that impact the business environment. We advise employers on compliance and how to handle individual situations in a manner that minimizes risk and maximizes the employers’ workforce utilization.

Our Labor and Employment attorneys apply the full array of labor and employment laws and regulations to the difficult employment issues and situations that human resource professionals face. We bring our experience and the results of dealing with human resource issues over many years to the individual situations you face.

Employment Litigation

Our Labor and Employment attorneys have compiled a strong record of success defending employee discrimination claims before federal and state agencies and in federal and state courts throughout the United States. In addition, we serve as Employment Practices Liability Insurance panel counsel for many major insurance carriers. We defend employers in all types of cases, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, wage and hour violations, defamation, and breach of contract.

Healthcare Reform and HIPAA

We guide companies and non-profits through healthcare reform, HIPAA and HITECH matters, including OCR compliance, policy review, breaches and employee education and training.

Internal Investigations and Harassment

Our attorneys have significant experience conducting internal investigations relating to allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and harassment. We assist employers with responding to these situations to manage difficult workforce issues and achieve compliance with applicable laws.

National Labor Relations Board, Unions and Union Avoidance

Our traditional labor lawyers have decades of experience dealing with the National Labor Relations Board and virtually every labor union. Our attorneys are well versed in traditional labor law at both the federal and state levels. We regularly represent employers in the defense of unfair labor practice charges and other matters before the National Labor Relations Board.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Our attorneys are experienced in representing employers in all types of OSHA investigations and OSHA citation procedures, including matters before OSHA and its state counterparts. We will guide you through an OSHA investigation, advise you of your rights and responsibilities under the workplace safety and health laws, and serve as your representative in all communications with OSHA, including litigation.

School Law

We represent school districts in labor and employment matters and serve as the Solicitors for school districts. We advise school districts on day-to-day issues arising under the School Code and on labor and employment issues arising both under state and federal laws.

Social Media, Privacy and Electronic Communications

With the explosion of technological communications and their inherent threat to the privacy of individuals in the workplace, employers need to be proactive in establishing policies on social media and other electronic communications that balance the employer’s business and workplace interests with its employees’ privacy interests and rights to free speech. We can guide you through these sensitive and tough issues.

Wage and Hour

Ensuring that your employees are paid in accordance with the myriad of laws regulating minimum wage, overtime pay, wage payment, wage deduction and other wage and hour requirements is a complicated process. The stakes for failing to pay employees correctly are high as pay practices have come under increased scrutiny by federal and state agencies and have become the subject of increased litigation.

Our attorneys have the experience to guide you and your organization through the web of complicated federal and state wage and hour laws and regulations that dictate the manner and means by which employees must be paid.

Workers’ Compensation

Our Workers’ Compensation attorneys represent self-insured and insured employers in Workers’ Compensation litigation before administrative bodies and federal administrative law judges. They also litigate cases under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act.

Training

Our attorneys regularly conduct supervisory and management training focused on such areas as employment law compliance, anti-harassment, substance abuse, and union avoidance.