Labor Relations Manager

Baker Construction; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Baker Construction is seeking a Labor Relations Manager to oversee regional union labor relations, support construction operations, and maintain strong ties with building trade unions.

You will administer labor agreements, resolve disputes, and coordinate craft labor needs with Operations, Payroll, Legal, and HR to ensure compliance and productive partnerships across the region.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years in union labor relations or related field.
• Experience interpreting CBAs/PLAs and resolving labor issues.
• Experience negotiating or administering project-specific labor agreements.

Responsibilities

• Represent the company with local, regional, and international building trade unions.
• Review and administer CBAs, PLAs, and labor agreements.
• Negotiate single-job agreements and site extensions.
• Coordinate with Operations and Craft Leadership on labor needs.
• Assist payroll with wage rates, fringe benefits, and deductions.

Skills

Labor relations

Negotiation

CBA/PLA interpretation

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 7+ years in union labor relations

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Req ID: 8310

Travel: Up to 75%

Number of Openings: 1

Achieve more in your career with the nation’s leading specialty concrete contractor. At Baker Construction, you’ll be part of a team that prioritizes people, invests in their development, and offers unparalleled opportunities for professional growth. In this role, you’ll be integral to building the future of our country and our company. You’ll collaborate across diverse teams, have a hand in significant projects, and dive headfirst into complex challenges with the best in the industry. If you are driven to do more and have the grit to follow through, you’ll have everything you need to define your career on your terms.

Make a meaningful impact with a team that values ambition and rewards initiative.

Summary

The Labor Relations Manager is responsible for managing union labor relations across the region, with a primary focus on supporting construction operations, maintaining strong relationships with building trade unions, administering labor agreements, resolving disputes, and coordinating craft labor needs. S/he works closely with Operations, Craft Leadership, Payroll, Legal, and HR to ensure the company meets its labor obligations while maintaining productive, long-term relationships with union partners.

Roles and Responsibilities

Labor Relations Manager will possess competency in the areas listed below in order to perform his/her role in a safe, productive, and effective manner. Note that the areas listed are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by co-workers assigned to this role. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.

Responsible for Labor Relations and Union Management

• Serves as a primary company representative with local, regional, and international building trade unions.
• Reviews, interprets, and administers CBAs, PLAs, national agreements, Books of Decisions, and related labor agreements.
• Negotiates single-job agreements, letters of assent, site extensions, and other project-specific labor arrangements.
• Handles grievances, disputes, jurisdictional issues, and other labor-management matters.
• Attends NCA, TAUC, labor-management, and other applicable industries or union association meetings.
• Coordinates with Operations and Craft Leadership on current and future labor needs.
• Supports Payroll with wage rate determination, fringe benefits, deductions, and other union requirements.
• Assist craft co-workers and internal teams with benefit reciprocity and related benefit issues
• Serves on union trust fund boards or labor-management committees as assigned
• Monitors labor-market conditions, union activity, and issues that may affect current or future projects
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with union representatives and industry partners

Ensures a Safe Work Environment

• Champions Incident and Injury Free (IIF) environment
• Sets example by following safety guidelines
• Complies with proper safety procedures

Participates in Training / Certifications

• 70% attendance at ROCK Nights
• 40 hours of approved career related training
• Presentation, leadership and general business training

Requirements

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of 7 years’ of union construction labor relations, constructions operations, contractor associations, building trades or closely related field related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated experience interpreting CBAs and PLAs and resolving labor-related issues.
• Experience negotiating and/or administering project-specific labor agreements
• Strong knowledge of union wage structures, fringe benefits, hiring practices, jurisdiction, and craft labor requirements
• Direct experience working with union building trades is strongly preferred

Language / Communication Skills

• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedures
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and customers
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of management, craftsmen and customers
• Strong written and verbal communication

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as cost benefit analysis.
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to analyze and compute mathematical differences from all stages of drawings from conceptual to final drawings including development of shop drawings.

Computer Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft software programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to understand, customize and modify spreadsheets.

Interpersonal Skills

• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills
• Excellent negotiation and conflict-resolution ability
• Excellent negotiation and conflict-resolution ability
• Calm and professional in difficult or contentious situations
• Politically and organizationally aware
• Ability to be confidently assertive without damaging relationships
• Maintains high integrity and sound judgment

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to define problems, collect information, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to understand contracts/agreements and how they relate to the scope of work.
• Ability to be proactive and apply creative thinking to maximize our return on investment at all times

Physical Demands

• Requires ability to maneuver in and out of job site trailers and various stages of job site terrains
• Frequently required to use hands to handle or feel
• Regularly required to sit, talk and listen
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms
• Ability to travel throughout the US as needed
• Must have the ability to exert physical effort, handling average weight objects up to 10 pounds

Work Environment

• Work is a combination of office and field environments involving various types of conditions encountered on the construction site
• Involves exposure to outside weather and job site conditions

At Baker Construction, we welcome those who are driven to make things happen. Your tenacity will be rewarded with great pay, excellent benefits, and opportunities to make your mark. This is an opportunity to own your future while working alongside co-workers who are united in our purpose to build better structures and better lives. Go further with an industry leader that puts people first, honors its word, and has the grit to achieve greatness.

Baker is an EOE Disability/Veterans Employer.

Applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation for any or part of the application process may make their requests known by emailing [e-mail] or calling 1-513-539-4000 and asking for HR.