Labor Relations Consultant - healthcare/Hospital

Preferred qualifications include a minimum of five years of labor relations experience; however, they are willing to consider candidates with less experience if they have a healthcare background.

 SUMMARY: 

This position reports directly to the Director/Manager of Labor Relations, serving under the Vice President of Labor and Employee Relations and Employment Law. This position is responsible for maintaining an individual caseload working with a highly integrated team of attorney and non-attorney professionals with the stated objective of establishing and maintaining a positive labor-management relationship while protecting Healthcare''s interests. The Labor Relations Partner role is responsible for processing union grievances up to the arbitration level, monitoring and ensuring management and union adherence to labor contract provisions, ensuring general compliance with State and Federal labor and employment laws under the guidance of Sr. LR professionals/attorneys, participating in union collective bargaining agreement negotiations and responding to internal and external inquiries from multiple sources including employees, management, union representatives and government entities. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

Labor Relations: 

• Applies labor relations concepts to represent the enterprise objectives at the bargaining table and has some authority to make binding agreements with local unions on items of limited complexity and scope, utilizing an understanding of organization goals and priorities.
• Represents the enterprise as a participant in union labor contract bargaining, grievance processing and arbitrations, and has authority to negotiate resolution of grievances on behalf of the enterprise.
• May lead a team to build consensus in a collaborative manner among diverse entities (for example, organization management, employees, and union representatives).
• Responsible for administering highly complex collective bargaining agreements and for interpreting the agreements.
• Works with management to recommend organization’s position on labor relations topics.
• Advises organization managers and human resource professionals on labor relations implications relating to highly complex individual and organization-wide issues or courses of action.
• Works in a highly collaborative manner with others across the organization, including all levels of management and leadership, as well as with external contacts of significance.
• Conducts highly complex and varied analyses of issues or concepts and develops resulting recommendations.
• Evaluate potential operational changes from the Labor Relations perspective and propose strategies to limit exposure to labor claims. 

Training: 

• Provide group training to department administrators and managers on labor relations (i.e. Managing in a unionized environment). Provide targeted unit training as needed. 

Other Duties: 

• Maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion in addressing matters of varying complexity and where the consequence of error is high.
• Other duties as assigned. 

EDUCATION: 

• Master''s Degree / Juris Doctor (JD) - Preferred
• Bachelor’s degree: or 4 years related work experience may substitute for degree. - Required 

EXPERIENCE: 

• 3 years of labor relations or like experience required (including employee relations, human resources, compensation, workers compensation or related fields within in a unionized environment). - Required
• 3 years of experience in a labor relations role specifically in a healthcare setting. - Preferred

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS & ABILITIES: 

• Incumbents should demonstrate initiative, intelligence and critical thinking/analytical skills, creative problem-solving skills, a strong work ethic and be comfortable working independently and as part of a team to help achieve the Healthcare
• Experience of being the best place to work, best place to practice medicine, and the best place to receive care.
• Must have a broad range of knowledge in human resources, labor/employment law, or like function and serves in a systemwide capacity for the enterprise.
• The incumbent will participate on behalf of management and/or the enterprise in formal adversarial dispute resolution processes such as grievances, arbitrations, hearings, mediations, etc., and will be expected to have the ability to negotiate union grievances to completion.