Senior Counsel, Labor-East Coast

Transdev; Lombard (IL); Remote; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation policy

Sick days

Holidays

401(k) retirement plan

Medical, dental and vision

Life insurance

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

Travel up to 50%

Job summary

Transdev is seeking a Senior Labor Counsel to guide labor strategy across our divisions. You will lead collective bargaining negotiations, manage grievance arbitrations, and handle NLRB matters, balancing legal risk with operational needs in a dynamic, unionized environment.

This fully remote role requires travel throughout the United States (roughly 50%), with a focus on negotiating and administering CBAs and advising senior leadership on labor strategy and compliance.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading collective bargaining negotiations.
• Experience handling grievance arbitrations and NLRB matters.
• Familiarity with AAA and FMCS processes.
• Advising sophisticated business clients in multi-site unionized environments.

Responsibilities

• Union Contract Negotiations: serve as chief spokesperson and provide strategic leadership.
• Develop negotiation strategies with business unit leaders and draft proposals.
• Oversee administration of multiple CBAs and monitor compliance.
• Research federal, state, and local labor laws impacting CBAs.
• Advise senior leadership on labor strategy and organizational risk.
• Develop labor relations training and address internal investigations.
• Represent the Company in labor arbitrations and prepare associated documents.
• Handle NLRB matters and coordinate with external agencies as assigned.

Skills

Labor law

Collective bargaining

Labor arbitrations

NLRB experience

Strategic counseling

Education

JD or equivalent in law

Tools

AAA

FMCS

Job description

****** ****** This is a fully remote position, but we require the successful candidate to reside in one of the following states:

• New York
• New Jersey
• Virginia,
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• Washington DC
• Maine
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts

About the Role

Building on Transdev's purpose and values, the Senior Labor Counsel serves as a key member of the Corporate Legal Department, partnering closely with business and operational leaders to provide strategic labor and employment counsel across assigned divisions of the Company. This high-impact, business-facing role focuses primarily on traditional labor law matters, including leading collective bargaining negotiations, managing labor arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proceedings, and advising management on complex union-related issues and labor strategy.

The Senior Labor Counsel will serve as lead negotiator for collective bargaining agreements within the assigned region and will provide practical, solution-oriented guidance to business clients in a dynamic and highly operational environment. The role requires strong judgment, executive presence, and the ability to balance legal risk, operational objectives, and employee relations considerations. This position weighs heavily in contract negotiations, with union negotiations workload between 60% and 80% of the total work.

The annual salary range for this role is $160,000 to $200,000

Benefits may vary depending on location policy. The below represents the standard Corporate Policy.

• Vacation: minimum of two (2) weeks

-Sick days: 5 days

- Holidays: 12 days; 8 standard and 4 floating

- Other standard benefits: 401(k) retirement plan, medical, dental and vision, life insurance, short-term disability, voluntary long-term disability.

Successful candidates will bring significant experience leading collective bargaining negotiations, handling grievance arbitrations, and managing NLRB matters, along with familiarity working with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Experience advising sophisticated business clients in complex, multi-site unionized environments is strongly preferred.

This role requires travel throughout assigned divisions within the United States based on business needs (approximately 50%).

Core Responsibilities

• Union Contract Negotiations Serve as chief spokesperson and provide strategic leadership during collective bargaining negotiations

• Partner with business unit leaders to develop negotiation strategies, including drafting proposals and counterproposals with strong attention to detail

• Oversee the day-to-day administration of multiple collective bargaining agreements (CBAs)

• Research and analyze applicable federal, state, and local labor laws and regulations impacting collective bargaining negotiations

Advice and Counsel

• Advise senior operational and HR leadership on labor strategy and organizational risk.

• Provide legal counsel and strategic guidance on traditional labor law matters, including negotiation and renegotiation of CBAs

• Develop and deliver labor relations training, including best practices related to policies, procedures, grievance prevention, and union-management relations

• Advise on internal investigations, including recommendations regarding discipline and corrective action

• Support special projects and participate on cross-functional teams as needed

Labor Arbitrations

• Represent the Company in labor grievance arbitrations, as assigned.

• Prepare post-hearing briefs, position statements, legal memoranda, and other labor-related legal documents

• Manage and maintain the labor arbitration docket

• Partner with business units to resolve union grievances, including drafting Last Chance Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding, and participating in grievance resolution meetings

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Practice

• Represent the Company before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), including handling unfair labor practice charges, representation petitions, and unit clarification matters, as assigned.

• Provide proactive training and guidance regarding developments under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and related labor regulations, as assigned