Director of Labor Relations

Prime Healthcare; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); On-site; USD 136,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401K retirement plan

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Prime Healthcare in the Chicagoland area is seeking a Director of Labor Relations to lead labor strategy across the health system, partnering with executive HR and legal teams to ensure compliant, economically sound bargaining proposals.

The role focuses on collective bargaining, contract interpretation, workforce planning, and advising senior leadership on labor laws while coordinating with finance on labor cost analysis; travel is required to support operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive labor relations experience, preferably within a healthcare or unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading collective bargaining negotiations and managing complex labor environments.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state labor laws, including NLRA and related regulations.
• Experience partnering with finance teams on economic modeling and labor cost analysis.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and navigate executive-level approval processes.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to support operational needs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement labor relations strategies aligned with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain knowledge in collective bargaining negotiations, including preparation, strategy development, and contract administration.
• Develop, analyze, and model economic proposals for collective bargaining agreements.
• Lead the internal review and approval process for labor strategies and economic proposals with senior executives, including the EVP/CHRO and President.
• Serve as the primary liaison with union representatives, fostering collaborative and effective working relationships.
• Advise executives, HR leaders, and operational management on labor laws, union contracts, and employee relations issues.
• Partner with HR and legal teams to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws.
• Support workforce planning initiatives, including restructuring, workforce transitions, and change management efforts.
• Train and coach leaders on labor relations best practices, contract interpretation, and conflict resolution.
• Maintain knowledge of federal and state labor law, including NLRA and related regulations.
• Deep understanding of collective bargaining, contract interpretation, and labor relations strategy.
• Healthcare workforce knowledge, including staffing models, operational constraints, and regulatory considerations.
• Maintain financial acumen to model labor costs, benefits, wage structures, and proposal impact.
• Work with local HR Leaders to track grievances and arbitration cases.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Skills

Labor relations

Negotiation

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR

Labor relations

Business Administration

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Overview

Prime Healthcare is an award-winning health system headquartered in Ontario, California. Prime Healthcare operates 54 hospitals and has more than 360 outpatient locations in 15 states providing more than 3.0million patient visits annually. It is one of the nation’s leading health systems with over 60,000 employees and physicians. Twenty‑one of the Prime Healthcare hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not‑for‑profit public charity. Prime Healthcare is actively seeking new members to join our corporate team!

Responsibilities

The Director of Labor Relations is responsible for leading and executing the health system’s labor relations strategy across multiple facilities. This role works in close partnership with the Executive Human Resources Director and Managing Labor Counsel to ensure alignment on labor strategy, legal compliance, and organizational priorities. The Director also collaborates closely with Corporate Finance to develop economically sound bargaining proposals and leads the internal approval process with executive leadership, including the EVP/CHRO and President. This role serves as an advisor to senior leadership and plays a critical role in collective bargaining, dispute resolution, and workforce planning.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement labor relations strategies aligned with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain knowledge in collective bargaining negotiations, including preparation, strategy development, and contract administration.
• Develop, analyze, and model economic proposals for collective bargaining agreements.
• Lead the internal review and approval process for labor strategies and economic proposals with senior executives, including the EVP/CHRO and President.
• Serve as the primary liaison with union representatives, fostering collaborative and effective working relationships.
• Advise executives, HR leaders, and operational management on labor laws, union contracts, and employee relations issues.
• Partner with HR and legal teams to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws.
• Support workforce planning initiatives, including restructuring, workforce transitions, and change management efforts.
• Train and coach leaders on labor relations best practices, contract interpretation, and conflict resolution.
• Maintain knowledge of federal and state labor law, including NLRA and related regulations.
• Deep understanding of collective bargaining, contract interpretation, and labor relations strategy.
• Healthcare workforce knowledge, including staffing models, operational constraints, and regulatory considerations.
• Maintain financial acumen to model labor costs, benefits, wage structures, and proposal impact.
• Work with local HR Leaders to track grievances and arbitration cases.
• Performs other duties as assigned or required.

Please note: this is an in‑office role and required at a Prime hospital within the Chicagoland market. Remote is not offered.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or related field required.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive labor relations experience, preferably within a healthcare or unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading collective bargaining negotiations and managing complex labor environments.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state labor laws, including NLRA and related regulations.
• Experience partnering with finance teams on economic modeling and labor cost analysis.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and navigate executive-level approval processes.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to support operational needs.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional HR certifications (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, etc.) are a plus.

Pay Transparency

Prime Healthcare offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that provides employees the flexibility to tailor benefits according to their individual needs. Our Total Rewards package includes, but is not limited to, paid time off, a 401K retirement plan, medical, dental, and vision coverage, tuition reimbursement, and many more voluntary benefit options.

• Paid time off
• A 401K retirement plan
• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Tuition reimbursement
• Many more voluntary benefit options

Benefits may vary based on employment status, i.e. full‑time, part‑time, per diem or temporary.

A reasonable compensation estimate for this role, which includes estimated wages, benefits, and other forms of compensation, is $136,000.00 to $150,000.00 on an annualized basis. The exact starting compensation to be offered will be determined at the time of selecting an applicant for hire, in which a wide range of factors will be considered, including but not limited to, skillset, years of applicable experience, education, credentials and licensure.

Employment Status

Full Time

Shift

Days

Equal Employment Opportunity

Company is an equal employment opportunity employer. Company prohibits discrimination against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (subject to applicable law), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. The Company also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Know Your Rights: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/EEOC_KnowYourRights_screen_reader_10_20.pdf

Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice for California Applicants: https://www.primehealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Notice-at-Collection-and-Privacy-Policy-for-California-Job-Applicants.pdf