For more information about this practice area, please contact Gary S. Batke or Dennis D. Grant.

Our labor and employment attorneys provide advice and representation to public and private employers in all areas of labor and employment law. We provide counseling to a wide range of business enterprises, including financial institutions, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, energy producers, healthcare providers, employee placement agencies, insurers, and companies in the construction, communication, high-tech and transportation industries.

Loss Prevention

We seek to foster long-term client relationships through our commitment to the principle that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We understand that operating a business is more complicated than ever and seek to maximize the productivity and morale of our clients' workforce, while minimizing employee related costs and risks. While implementation of preventative measures will not enable our clients to avoid every problem, we seek to be proactive through audits of employer practices and policies, drafting and implementation of appropriate workplace policies which preserve employer rights, employee training focusing primarily on supervisors, drafting employment contracts where appropriate to protect trade secrets and motivate high performance, and conducting due diligence relative to new employees through hiring and mergers.

Employment Litigation

Although our emphasis on prevention seeks to decrease the likelihood of litigation, we also understand that litigation is often unavoidable. We, therefore, provide aggressive and cost-effective representation for employers in all types of employment-related litigation. Our lawyers regularly defend employers against claims of unlawful harassment and discrimination, wage-hour violations, defamation, breach of contract, quasi-contract, retaliation, whistleblower claims, and violation of public policy. We represent employers in administrative proceedings, trials before state and federal courts, arbitration and appeals. We often enforce employer rights through litigation, including protection of employer trade secrets, enforcement of non-compete agreements, recovery of employee theft, and enjoining unlawful pickets from employees or union representatives. Our goal is always to conclude the matter as quickly as practical, on the most favorable terms to our clients as possible.

Labor and Management Relations

We have a strong background in traditional labor law, having advised Fortune 500 and other public and private employers regarding union avoidance, union organizing efforts, and union election campaigns. We have significant collective bargaining experience, and have defended employers in grievance hearings, arbitrations, and unfair labor practice proceedings under both federal and state law. We are also frequently asked to play a key role in business mergers and acquisitions by analyzing collective bargaining agreements and other employment-related representations and warranties.

Employee Performance Management

We work closely with employers to maximize the efficiency of their employees through focused job training and the communication of expectations to employees. We assist employers in the preparation of job descriptions and regularly counsel employers with respect to handling and documenting employee performance and disciplinary issues. Where necessary, we counsel employers regarding discharge and other post-discharge issues, including COBRA compliance, to minimize the risk of potential liability or costly litigation from departing employees.

Employment Contracts

We regularly work with employers to insure that their employment relationships accurately reflect their intentions and protect their interests. It is our experience that care at the commencement of employment relationships in the form of appropriate documentation of terms and expectations, will minimize the costs and risks of future disputes. Where appropriate, we draft employment contracts with the goals of protecting employer investment in key employees, insuring the protection of employer trade secrets and preventing unfair competition in the event the employment terminates.

Discrimination and Harassment

We have strong experience in defending employers with respect to charges of discrimination filed with either Ohio or federal civil rights authorities alleging discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, and national origin. Our experience includes advising employers with respect to equal employment opportunity issues, affirmative action compliance, supervisor training, appropriate policies, and internal investigations of alleged discrimination and harassment.

Wage and Hour

We frequently assist employers in wage and hour compliance and litigation, and also work with employers to assess exempt employee status. We have assisted employers with respect to surviving Department of Labor audits and have represented construction employers relative to the interpretation of Ohio and federal prevailing wage laws and the defense of actions to recover wages and penalties under such laws.

Workplace Safety

Our practice includes rendering frequent advice regarding employer preparation for potential violence in the workplace and responding to such violence if it occurs. We guide employers through misconduct and harassment investigations which carry the possibility of violence and/or retribution, and assist employers in evaluating the risks presented by the performance of safety sensitive duties by employees with disabilities. We counsel employers with respect to OSHA compliance issues and defend employers when OSHA seeks to inspect their workplaces or issues a citation for violation of safety obligations.

Employee Privacy

We regularly counsel clients with respect to a broad range of employee privacy issues, including background and criminal investigations of employees and applicants. We frequently prepare policies and counsel employers regarding privacy issues pertaining to drug testing, employee computer and internet usage, telephone usage and employee personal property on the employer's premises. We often counsel employers during misconduct and sexual harassment investigations which raise issues relating to employee privacy, and have counseled numerous employers regarding Ohio's concealed carry law and its impact on the workplace.

Leave of Absence

We handle all kinds of issues pertaining to employee leaves of absence, including, but not limited to, The Family and Medical Leave Act, The Americans With Disabilities Act, military leave, jury duty leave, pregnancy leave, and leave due to injuries covered by Ohio's workers' compensation law.

Reduction in Force

We have advised employers relative to workforce downsizing and plant closing issues under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act ("WARN") and the National Labor Relations Act. We also have assisted numerous employers with respect to conducting layoffs in a manner which minimizes the disruption to the remaining employees, and minimizes the risk of potential liability to those employees selected for layoff.