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Labor & Employment

Robbins Schwartz assists governmental agencies with labor and employment compliance, offering defense, representation, and proactive guidance on disputes, claims, and liability mitigation.

Municipalities Labor & Employment

Running a governmental agency or organization requires careful compliance with a wide range of labor and employment rules, regulations, and requirements. These complex laws govern every stage of employment, beginning with soliciting, hiring, training, and terminating employees. At Robbins Schwartz, we provide an excellent defense to municipal employers facing labor and employment claims.

Our attorneys provide advice, information, and representation in labor and employment disputes involving wrongful termination, discrimination, benefits, equal employment, collective bargaining agreements, and wage-and-hour disputes. We represent clients during arbitration, settlement agreements, litigation, and appeals. In addition, we provide clients with advice to limit their potential liability to employment and labor law claims.

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Our attorneys advise on the full spectrum of legal issues

At Robbins Schwartz our attorneys provide practical and cost effective representation to both public and private sector employers in labor and personnel matters.

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Pension

The lawyers at Robbins Schwartz advise municipalities on pension issues involving the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) and also advise on issues concerning police and firefighter pension boards. We have intervened on behalf of municipalities in pension board hearings in order to oppose disability applications where the facts and law do not allow the pension to be granted. We advise municipalities on the intersection of pension law and the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (PSEBA).

All Aspects of the Employment Relationship

Our attorneys counsel employers in all aspects of the employment relationship including collective bargaining, hiring and termination decisions, employee discipline and reductions-in-force, employee leave and disability accommodation requests and investigations of employee misconduct and harassment complaints. Robbins Schwartz attorneys also represent employers in grievances, arbitrations, unfair labor practices charges and unlawful discrimination complaints and lawsuits. We aggressively defend our clients in federal and state courts and before various administrative bodies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Preventative Counseling

In keeping with our philosophy of preventive counseling, our attorneys develop personnel policies and procedures for complying with state and federal laws anti-discrimination laws, including the Illinois Human Rights Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Our attorneys are asked to speak on a wide array of employment topics before both state and national organizations. Robbins Schwartz attorneys also provide on-site training and in-service programs tailored to the needs and requests of individual clients.

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At the bargaining table, Robbins Schwartz attorneys work closely with management to achieve its collective bargaining goals while striving to foster positive labor relations.

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Our attorneys have negotiated hundreds of contracts and are veterans in traditional and alternative mutual gains bargaining formats. "Wrap up" is a critical phase of any collective bargaining and our attorneys ensure that a contract's final language spells out the agreement in clear terms to avoid unnecessary disputes and grievances.

Areas of Specialty

  • Collective Bargaining
  • Employee Discipline
  • Employer Liability
  • Employer Rights
  • Employment Arbitration
  • Employment Breach of Contract
  • Employment Contracts
  • Employment Defense
  • Employment Discrimination
  • Employment Law
  • Employment Litigation
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Law
  • Harassment
  • Human Resources Law
  • Labor Negotiations