Director, Labor & Employee Relations

Vestis Corporation; California (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vestis Corporation in the United States seeks a Director of Labor Relations to lead labor negotiations and advise regional operations. You will serve as the chief spokesperson in CBAs, manage arbitration and NLRB matters, and guide managers through disciplinary actions while ensuring compliance across diverse workplaces.

The role requires 5–10 years in labor relations, multi-union experience preferred, and travel as needed to support negotiations and training across North America.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA/JD preferred.
• 5–10 years in labor relations, multi-union environment is ideal.
• Experience negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements.

Responsibilities

• Prepares for and negotiates initial and renewal labor agreements.
• Advises operations managers and regional leadership on labor relations matters.
• Represents the company in arbitration and before the NLRB; manages grievances.

Skills

Labor negotiations

NLRA knowledge

Communication skills

Leadership in change

Benefits plans familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree (MBA/JD)

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Meet Vestis®: For the People Who Make It All Work

At Vestis®, we provide uniforms, workplace supplies, and professional cleaning that help businesses simplify their workday and keep their teams safe, confident, and focused on what matters most. More than a provider, we are a partner in productivity, trusted to keep you running.

Join us and build a career supporting the people who make it all work.

Overview

Responsible for all labor relations and related employee relations matters in their designated region.

The Director, Labor Relations will be the chief spokesperson in contract negotiations, responsible to plan for, negotiate, and implement collective bargaining agreement (cba) renewals. Proactively interacts with and advises operations managers and regional leadership on a broad range of labor relations matters, including disciplinary actions and contract administration. Will represent the Company in arbitration cases and before the National Labor Relations Board. Address union organizing activity, delivering positive employee relations training and campaign support to managers and field HR as necessary.

Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Prepares for and negotiates initial and renewal labor agreements in accordance with corporate initiatives.
• Populates and navigates Excel based cost models during economic negotiations planning and preparation.
• Coordinates with local and regional operations leadership to obtain alignment on negotiations strategy and direction.
• Drafts contract proposals and counterproposals as necessary prior to and during negotiations.
• Finalizes negotiations settlement and prepares a detailed Memorandum of Agreement for signature by the parties.
• Establishes and maintains rapport with union leaders.
• Advises and provides oversight to grievances, arbitration cases, and unfair labor practice charges.
• Creates presentations and leads informative discussions and/or training sessions with operations leaders, HR colleagues, and Labor Relations teammates.
• Contributes to the development and improvement of company-wide practices, processes and forms.
• Collaborates to ensure legal compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
• Effectively communicate and work with other executives in support of achieving business goals.
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Demonstrated ability in managing all aspects of labor negotiations.
• Working knowledge and interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act.
• Solid capability in the use of Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel.
• Excellent communication, organization, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated leadership in driving change within an organization to meet and exceed business objectives.
• Familiarity with multiemployer health and welfare and/or pension plans a plus.

Experience

5-10 years of applicable experience in labor relations, ideally in a multi union environment.

Travel Requirements

Must be willing and able to travel more than 50% of the time.

Education

A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field of study is required; An Advanced Degree, such as an MBA, JD or Master’s in Industrial Relations is preferred.

Headquartered in Roswell, GA, Vestis® is the second largest provider in the industry with over 300,000 customer locations and approximately 20,000 teammates across North America. Vestis® is a leader in the B2B uniform and workplace supplies category. Vestis® provides clean and safe uniform services and workplace supplies to a broad range of North American customers from Fortune 500 companies to locally owned small businesses across a broad set of end markets. The Company’s comprehensive service offering includes a full-service uniform rental program, cleanroom and other specialty garment processing, floor mats, towels, linens, managed restroom services, first aid supplies and more.

Vestis® is an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, relation, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

Vestis Commitment to Equal Opportunity Employment

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information below to request the appropriate accommodation.

Reasonable Accommodations and the Online Application Process

Consistent with Vestis and Canadian Linen’s commitment to equal employment opportunity, we provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who need assistance in applying electronically for a position with Vestis or Canadian Linen, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. To request a reasonable accommodation for this purpose, please call 1-833-901-8823 or email us at [e-mail].

Please note that this phone number is to be used solely to request an accommodation with respect to the online application process. Calls for any other reason will not be returned. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Thank you for your interest in an employment opportunity with Vestis, Canadian Linen and Québec Linge.