Labor Relations Consultant

spectrumhealth; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Corewell Health is seeking a Labor Relations Consultant to promote healthy labor-management relations, interpret and administer collective bargaining agreements, and partner with HR to implement effective employee relations strategies across the organization.

The role includes designing leadership training, assisting in union campaign activities, conducting investigations, and guiding management on contract interpretation and policy issues to ensure compliant operations and productive workplace

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations, industrial relations, human resources or related field.
• 5 years of labor relations experience in a unionized environment, including handling grievances and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.

Responsibilities

• Designs and delivers training to leadership on labor relations and employee relations.
• Advises managers on labor relations issues and interprets contracts.
• Maintains upward communication channels, reviews suggestions for action.
• Confers on policies, procedures, priorities, and methods.
• Investigates managers and prepares recommended mediation or grievance responses.
• Conducts employee misconduct investigations and summarizes recommendations.
• Maintains a grievance tracking system and resolves day-to-day issues per policy and contract.
• Manages relationship with the union and monitors trends to avoid/minimize unionization.
• Participates in labor/management meetings and helps develop department goals.

Skills

Labor relations

Grievance handling

Collective bargaining

Leadership training

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's or equivalent degree in Labor Relations/IR/HR

Job description

Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Manager, Labor Relations, the Labor Relations Consultant is responsible for promoting healthy labor-management relations; develops and administers the organization's labor relation policies, including disciplinary actions, grievance and dispute management; partners with Human Resources and other departments implementing, in a proactive and positive manner, employee and labor relations strategies and initiatives consistent with Corewell Health's mission, vision and values, and labor relations philosophy; designs and delivers training to all levels of leadership on labor relations and positive employee relations; and collective bargaining negotiations, with minimal guidance from the Manager, Labor Relations.

The successful candidate will support the development and implementation of the union campaign strategy, including the independent development and delivery of leadership and staff education, coordination of campaign activities, management of resources, leadership of manager briefing sessions and preparation of executive summaries.

The successful candidate will interpret and administer collective bargaining agreements and participate in collective bargaining meetings and also acts as a consultant to management. This includes but is not limited to assisting in the development of all of the communication and implementation of Labor Relations' philosophy, goals and objectives to benefit employees and the organization as a whole and responsible for assisting in operations of the Labor Relation's department.

The successful candidate will be responsible for conferring with site supervisors/department heads and related personnel on all matters within the jurisdiction of labor relations and providing policy recommendations on labor relations matters; assisting in the resolution of grievances and disciplinary matters; preparing Memoranda of Understanding and other documents relating to Labor Relations assignments, providing advice, training, interpretation, and orientation of union-contract related issues to operational management.

Essential Functions

• Designs and delivers training to all levels of leadership on labor relations and positive employee relations. Implements the independent development and delivery of leadership and staff education, coordination of campaign activities, management of resources, completion of bargaining unit analysis, leadership of manager briefing sessions and preparation of executive campaign summaries.
• Provide guidance and training for managers regarding labor relations issues. Services as a resource to human resources staff on labor relation and contract interpretation issues.
• Maintains formal and informal channels of upward communication, encourages the expression of new ideas, suggestions, and complaints. Reviews them for appropriateness and further action.
• Confere with and advises others on administrative policies and procedures, technical problems, priorities, and methods.
• Gathers data, investigates and interviews managers, when necessary, to prepare recommended/appropriate federal mediation and/or grievance responses.
• In partnership with other HR departments, conducts employee misconduct internal investigations and provides summary of recommendations. Investigates validity of issues. Develops and implements solutions.
• Develops and implements solutions and maintains a grievance tracking system. Responsively reacts to day- to -day issues/problems to resolve in a manner consistent with established policies and practices and the collective bargaining agreement.
• Responsible for relationship management with the union and non-unionized personnel. Keeps abreast of developing issues and advises HR leaders of findings. Develops and implements solutions. Monitors labor/employee relations practices, trends, and issues to avoid/minimize further unionization of workforce.
• Conducts ongoing analysis of policies and procedures to assure compliance with labor agreements. Recommends policy changes as appropriate.
• Assists in conducting formal and informal labor/management meetings. Serves as member of negotiating team and employee committees, as appropriate.
• Participates in developing department goals, objectives, and systems. Recommends new approaches, policies, and procedures to effect continual improvements in efficiency of department and services performed.
• Regularly meets with client group to ensure clients' needs are being met and identify gaps in knowledge and understanding of labor relations matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Labor Relations, industrial relations, human resources or related field. Appropriate experience may be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.
• 5 years of relevant experience Five years progressively responsible employee/labor relations experience in a unionized environment, including handling grievances, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, conducting leadership training and leading or