Labor Arbitrations
With more than three decades representing employers and public entities in labor and employment matters, I bring a practitioner’s depth and a decision-maker’s perspective to the role of arbitrator.
Substantive mastery and pattern recognition: Years spent litigating and arbitrating complex disputes across higher education, healthcare, and government have given me a thorough command of collective bargaining language, discipline and just-cause standards, justifications for workplace rules, backpay calculations, and remedies. That experience enables rapid identification of dispositive contractual provisions, applicable precedent, and factual patterns that determine rightful outcomes.
Practical familiarity with advocacy tactics and process management: Having prepared and presented cases system-wide (including at Dignity Health) and managed multiple bargaining units (Contra Costa County), I know how cases are developed, what documentary and testimonial proof matters, and which procedural moves are genuine versus tactical. As an arbitrator I use that knowledge to run hearings efficiently, ask the right clarifying questions, and structure proceedings to elicit the evidence needed for fair decisions.
Balanced perspective grounded in risk and organizational realities: Advising senior leadership on labor strategy and compliance taught me the operational and policy constraints employers and public agencies face. I understand competing organizational goals—service continuity, fiscal stewardship, morale—and the practical consequences of remedies. That background helps me craft awards that are legally sound, administrable, and realistic to implement.
Experience across diverse sectors and dispute types: Handling disputes involving contract interpretation, discipline, working conditions, and pay across multiple sectors has exposed me to a wide range of workplace cultures, statutory frameworks, and union relationships. This breadth ensures impartiality informed by context, and the ability to apply neutral principles consistently across different environments.
Commitment to neutral, reasoned decision-making: My advocacy background affords empathy for both sides’ positions without bias: I know how each party builds its case and why each outcome matters to them. As an arbitrator I translate that understanding into clear, well-reasoned awards that identify dispositive facts, apply contractual and legal standards, and explain remedies in a manner that parties can accept and implement.
In sum, my career as an advocate equips me with the technical knowledge, procedural command, sectoral breadth, and pragmatic judgment required of an effective arbitrator—one who can manage proceedings efficiently, evaluate evidence insightfully, and issue enforceable, balanced decisions that further durable labor-management relationships.
