Employee/Labor Relations Specialist

Join a team that nourishes life from farm to table! Upstate Niagara Cooperative, proudly owned by 200 local family farms, is one of America’s largest and most stable dairy cooperatives. Guided by farmer- and employee-led values, we process and market high-quality milk, yogurt, dips, sour cream, cottage cheese, and more under our trusted brands: Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Milk for Life®, and Intense Milk®. Here, you’ll support sustainable farming, strong communities, and the mission to deliver fresh, local dairy to families every day.

About the Role:

The Employee/Labor Relations Specialist serves as a trusted advisor and hands on partner to plant leadership, HR, and union representatives across a 24/7/365 manufacturing environment. This role leads the administration of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), supports bargaining strategy and negotiations, resolves grievances and arbitrations, and advances a productive employee relations climate that improves safety, quality, delivery, and cost. The ideal candidate brings strong contract interpretation skills, credibility on the shop floor, conflict resolution skills, and a data driven approach to decision making.

Key Responsibilities:

CBA Administration & Contract Interpretation

• Serve as primary point of contact for day-to-day labor relations at assigned site; interpret and apply CBA in a high-volume manufacturing setting.
• Advise managers and HR on discipline, attendance, overtime, seniority, job bidding, rates, and scheduling consistent with the CBA and company policy.
• Maintain clause libraries, side letters, and past practice documentation; ensure consistent application across shifts and departments.

Grievances, Investigations & Arbitration

• Lead end-to-end grievance management: intake, investigation, evidence collection, position statements, settlement strategies, and step meetings through arbitration as needed.
• Prepare arbitration files and coordinate outside counsel/advocates; testify and/or serve as second chair in hearings.
• Track metrics (volume, cycle time, root cause, settlement outcomes) and drive corrective actions to reduce recurrence. 

Bargaining & Union Engagement

• Support bargaining strategy (economic costing, language proposals, strike readiness, contingency planning).
• Participate in negotiations and/or serve as chief negotiator for small to medium tables; document tentative agreements and ensure timely implementation.
• Build constructive relationships with union leadership to address issues early and enable operational outcomes.

Compliance, Policy & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with NLRA/NLRB guidance, wage/hour, EEO/AA, OSHA, state/local laws; escalate risk and partner with Legal on complex matters.
• Conduct training for frontline leaders on just cause, Weingarten, investigatory interviews, and documentation.
• Support due diligence and integration for site expansions, reorganizations, and technology change impacting represented employees.

Culture, Change & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with operations and legal counsel to improve attendance, productivity, quality, and safety through incentive plans, job design, and fair work rules.
• Facilitate problem-solving (interest-based bargaining where appropriate), Kaizen events, and cross functional root cause analysis to reduce disputes.
• Leverage data to identify trends and recommend policy/process improvements.

Data, Systems & Reporting

• Maintain accurate case records and CBA repositories; leverage HRIS (e.g., UKG/SAP), case management, and Microsoft 365 for reporting.
• Publish monthly dashboards: grievance trends, arbitration backlog, time-to-close, training completion, and financial impact of settlements.

Onboarding & Employee Support

• Conduct new hire orientation and onboarding programs.
• Educate employees on company policies, procedures, and union-related matters.
• Assist employees with benefits enrollment and general HR inquiries.
   

Records Management

• Maintain accurate physical and digital employee files, including benefits and attendance records.
• Utilize UltiPro Time & Labor Management system for attendance tracking and recordkeeping.
• Support processing of union dues and maintain accurate records for union membership.

Leave Administration

• Support administration of employee leaves, including FMLA and other statutory requirements.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance with applicable laws.
  

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Partner with managers to recruit, interview, and hire qualified candidates.
• Support workforce planning and succession planning initiatives.

Qualifications: 

Required
• 4–6 years of progressive experience in labor/employee relations within unionized manufacturing (multishift, high volume).
• Demonstrated experience with CBA administration, grievance handling, and participation in collective bargaining.
• Strong knowledge of NLRA/NLRB processes, workplace investigations, and just cause standards.
• Proven ability to earn credibility with hourly employees and front-line leaders; effective conflict resolution and facilitation skills.
• Analytical skills for costing proposals, calculating remedies/back pay, and using data to influence decisions.
• Excellent written/oral communication; ability to produce clear summaries, settlement documents, and hearing briefs.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial/Labor Relations, Business, or related field; or equivalent experience.

Preferred

• Experience across multiple union environments and/or multisite responsibility.
• Exposure to interest-based/problem-solving approaches and continuous improvement (Lean/TPM).
• Experience participating in arbitrations (preparation and/or presenting).
• Advanced degree (e.g., MSILR, JD) or HR certifications (e.g., SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR).
• Bilingual (e.g., Spanish/English) a plus.

Success in the First 12 Months (KPIs):

• Reduce average grievance time-to-close by 20–30%; decrease repeat grievance themes through targeted leader training.
• Clear any arbitration backlog with documented outcomes and lessons learned.
• Deliver CBA compliance refresher training to 100% of front-line leaders in scope.
• Support at least one successful bargaining cycle (on-time implementation, no operational disruption, documented cost impacts).
• Establish a standard work playbook for investigations, documentation, and settlement authority.

Working Conditions:

• Frequent presence on the shop floor; ability to wear required PPE and navigate industrial environments (noise, temperature variations, standing/walking).
• Availability for off-shift meetings and time sensitive issues. 

Pay: $80K-$95k a year* 

* The salary range listed for this position represents the good faith and reasonable minimum and maximum pay for this role at the time of posting.  Actual compensation may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, training, knowledge, education, and overall qualifications.  The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.

Salary : $80 - $95