LABOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST

Position Summary

The Labor Relations Specialist is responsible for supporting and managing day-to-day labor relations activities across the organization, with a primary focus on maintaining effective relationships with union representatives, ensuring consistent administration of collective bargaining agreements, and providing practical guidance to management on labor and employee relations matters.

This role serves as a key resource to Human Resources and operational leadership in navigating complex workplace issues, interpreting collective bargaining agreements, managing grievances, conducting workplace investigations, and ensuring disciplinary and employment decisions are consistent, well-documented, and defensible.

The ideal candidate is a confident and experienced labor relations professional who can independently assess issues, identify risk, provide clear recommendations, and work effectively with union representatives, employees, managers, senior leadership, and labor counsel.

Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesLabor Relations & Collective Bargaining Agreement Administration

• Serve as a primary day-to-day point of contact for labor relations matters involving represented employees and union representatives.
• Interpret and administer collective bargaining agreements and provide guidance to HR and operational leaders regarding contractual requirements.
• Monitor compliance with collective bargaining agreements, including provisions related to seniority, scheduling, attendance, discipline, job classifications, transfers, promotions, leaves, and other terms and conditions of employment.
• Identify potential contract violations or labor relations concerns before they escalate and recommend appropriate corrective action.
• Maintain consistency in the application of collective bargaining agreements across locations and management teams.
• Support collective bargaining preparation, including research, data gathering, proposal development, costing, documentation, and bargaining strategy.
• Participate in collective bargaining sessions as requested.

Grievance & Arbitration Management

• Manage grievances from initial filing through resolution, including gathering facts, reviewing relevant documentation, interpreting applicable CBA provisions, and preparing management responses.
• Conduct grievance meetings and participate in discussions with union representatives regarding disputes and potential resolutions.
• Evaluate grievances for contractual, operational, financial, and precedent-setting implications.
• Maintain accurate grievance tracking and ensure contractual response deadlines are met.
• Prepare arbitration files, timelines, exhibits, witness information, disciplinary history, and other supporting documentation.
• Partner with the Head of Human Resources and labor counsel on arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and other significant labor matters.

Investigations & Employee Relations

• Conduct prompt, objective, and thorough workplace investigations involving represented and non-represented employees.
• Develop investigation plans, conduct interviews, assess credibility, review documentation, and prepare factual findings and recommendations.
• Partner with HR and operational leadership on disciplinary decisions, including written warnings, final warnings, suspensions, and terminations.
• Ensure disciplinary actions involving represented employees are consistent with applicable CBA requirements, past practice, company policy, and principles of just cause where applicable.
• Identify patterns or trends in employee relations matters and recommend proactive interventions.

Management Support & Labor Strategy

• Provide practical labor relations guidance to managers and leaders regarding performance, attendance, conduct, scheduling, workplace complaints, investigations, discipline, and contract administration.
• Coach leaders on appropriate interactions with represented employees and union representatives.
• Support management preparation for investigatory meetings, grievance meetings, union meetings, and other labor-related discussions.
• Educate managers regarding Weingarten rights, protected concerted activity, retaliation, union representation, and other fundamental labor relations requirements.
• Partner with HR leadership to develop consistent labor relations practices across the organization.
• Assess labor relations risk and escalate significant or precedent-setting matters appropriately.

Compliance & Documentation

• Maintain organized and confidential labor relations records, including grievances, information requests, disciplinary records, investigation materials, arbitration files, and union correspondence.
• Coordinate responses to union information requests and assist in determining the relevance, scope, and appropriate production of requested information.
• Track grievance activity, disciplinary trends, contractual deadlines, and other labor relations metrics.
• Assist with responses to NLRB charges, agency inquiries, litigation holds, and other legal matters in partnership with HR leadership and counsel.
• Stay current on developments in federal and state labor and employment law and communicate relevant changes to HR and leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive labor relations and/or employee relations experience, with significant direct experience working in a unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and administering collective bargaining agreements.
• Hands-on experience managing grievances and supporting arbitration matters.
• Strong working knowledge of the National Labor Relations Act, NLRB processes, Weingarten rights, protected concerted activity, and fundamental labor relations principles.
• Experience conducting complex workplace investigations and making recommendations based on factual findings.
• Demonstrated ability to advise managers regarding discipline, termination, attendance, performance, and employee conduct.
• Experience working with multiple bargaining units, locations, or jurisdictions strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting collective bargaining negotiations preferred.
• Experience in highly regulated, multi-state, retail, manufacturing, cultivation, distribution, or similar operational environments preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong judgment and ability to independently evaluate complex employee and labor relations matters.
• Ability to distinguish between routine issues and matters presenting significant contractual, legal, operational, or precedent-setting risk.
• Excellent investigative, interviewing, analytical, and documentation skills.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to draft grievance responses, disciplinary documents, investigation findings, and professional union correspondence.
• Confident communicator who can respectfully challenge management or union positions when appropriate.
• Ability to remain objective and composed during contentious or emotionally charged situations.
• Strong understanding of progressive discipline and just-cause principles.
• Ability to interpret contractual language and apply it consistently to real-world operational situations.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple investigations, grievances, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
• High level of discretion and ability to maintain confidential and sensitive information.
• Collaborative approach with the ability to build credibility with HR, operational leaders, employees, union representatives, senior leadership, and legal counsel.
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office, and case-management or document-management systems.

Success in This Role

Success in this position requires more than processing grievances or responding to union inquiries. The Labor Relations Specialist is expected to understand the business, investigate issues thoroughly, evaluate contractual and legal risk, and provide leadership with clear, practical recommendations.

The successful candidate will help the organization maintain consistent labor practices, strengthen management capability, resolve disputes effectively, and build productive and professional labor-management relationships while protecting the Company's operational and contractual interests.

Physical & Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel regularly between Company locations and occasionally travel overnight based on business needs.
• Ability to attend meetings, investigations, grievance hearings, bargaining sessions, and other labor-related proceedings that may occasionally occur outside normal business hours.
• Ability to work in office, retail, and operational environments as required.

Pay: $75,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $80,000