Labor & Employment

Our clients include manufacturing and service companies, educational institutions, not-for-profit agencies and public and private employers. The number of employees at our clients ranges from 3 to 3,000.

Employment is highly regulated by the state and federal government. Employers have many obligations that did not exist even a decade ago. While we strive to assist our clients in meeting their obligations by preemptive counseling, we also represent them if they must appear before the government or if they have interaction with regulatory agencies. In addition, we litigate on their behalf should they find themselves in court.

In our labor practice, we represent employers in collective bargaining, arbitration of contract disputes, and practice before the National Labor Relations Board and the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. We assist our clients in handling strike issues, and we counsel employers in all areas of the relationship between the employer, the union and bargaining-unit members. We also provide training to supervisors on all aspects of labor relations. Our goal is to help management accomplish its economic and management goals by assisting the employer to navigate all issues that are impacted by labor law.

In our employment law practice, we represent employers in employment-related litigation and before agencies. We also provide counseling and training services. Issues range from anti-discrimination and anti-harassment problems under state and federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA"), the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act ("OWBPA"), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act ("PDA"), and the Rehabilitation Act, to drafting and negotiating employment agreements and restrictive covenants, to fielding questions concerning sick leave and the correlations between various laws that affect sick leave, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), COBRA requirements, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act ("PHRA"), and the Pennsylvania worker's compensation law. We also handle a wide range of questions pertaining to wage and hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law ("WPCL"), including questions about exemptions, overtime, applicable deductions from pay, commission structuring, and minimum wage. We also field questions and handle litigation in traditional tort areas that affect employment, such as privacy law, negligence, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. Our lawyers also provide management and employee training in anti-discrimination and employment law.

The labor and employment law practice has been a flagship practice area of our firm. We have extensive experience with traditional labor issues, including contract negotiation, arbitration and work stoppages. We also have experience appearing before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, local human relations commissions, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other governmental agencies regarding employment matters.

More specifically, our firm has the knowledge and experience to assist businesses, whether by counseling, contract negotiation, agency representation, alternate dispute resolution, or litigation, in the following areas:

Practice Areas

Anti-harassment Policies and Procedures
Arbitration (Grievance and Interest Arbitration)
COBRA Issues
Collective Bargaining
Contract Negotiations
Discipline Questions
Employee Handbooks
Employment Discrimination
Employment Contracts
Employment Law Training
High-Risk Terminations
HIPAA Issues
Investigations
Noncompete Agreements
Overtime Exemptions
Personnel Policy Development
Personnel Policy Review
Personnel Policy Training for Management
Privacy Issues
Reductions in Force
Restrictive Covenants
Safety Issues
Severance Packages
Terminations
Union Avoidance
Wage Payment and Related Issues
Workplace Violence -- Avoidance and Response

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA")
The Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA")
The Equal Pay Act ("EPA")
The Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA")
The Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA")
The National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA")
The Occupational Safety and Health Act ("OSHA")
The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act ("OWBPA")
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act ("PHRA")
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act ("PDA")
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972
The Worker's Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act ("WARN")

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Local Human Relations Commissions
National Labor Relations Board
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board
Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
Pennsylvania State Trial Courts
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court
Pennsylvania Superior Court
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
United States District Courts
The United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals