Labor & Employment

The best way to decrease legal costs is to reduce legal disputes. We help clients draft or update their employment policies and implement accident prevention, cost containment and defense strategies. Our labor and employment team is also nationally known for training employees, supervisors and management on subjects such as sexual harassment, effective discipline, absenteeism and personnel file documentation. These proactive measures have been shown to significantly limit employer liability while also positioning clients to mount an effective defense against, should a claim or investigation arise. Finally, our experience defending both locally owned businesses and Fortune 500 companies in countless claims and enforcement actions gives clients an uncommon advantage in resolving even the most complex employment law issues.

Our team combines in-depth knowledge and creative litigation strategies to provide practical Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) solutions for corporations and insurance providers. We defend clients against benefits denial claims at the district court and appellate levels, often in complex ERISA litigation involving discrimination and breach of fiduciary duty claims as well as severance, cutbacks, withdrawal liability under the MPPAA, delinquent contributions.

In addition to helping clients achieve their litigation goals, we provide timely updates on litigation trends to insurers, health care providers, self-insured employers and third-party claims administrators. These insights allow our clients to proactively adjust their claims handling procedures in order to avoid litigation and/or increase their odds of prevailing should litigation ensue.

Our team has vast experience dealing with the National Mediation Board (NMB) in a broad range of matters, including labor negotiations, accretion applications and elections. The craft or classes involved in these actions have included aircraft mechanics and related employees, flight deck crewmembers, airline dispatchers, maintenance controllers and simulator technicians. We work directly and on a routine basis with NMB-assigned mediators, board members, carrier management, and our clients to negotiate labor contracts, with an eye toward finding creative solutions to labor issues confronting the airline industry.

Frost Brown Todd is one of the few firms in the Midwest with the depth of RLA experience to match or exceed the RLA expertise normally associated with large firms on the East and West Coasts.

In addition to being involved in the negotiations of labor contracts, our attorneys have handled hundreds of arbitrations before Airline System Boards of Adjustment involving, again, multiple different planes and airline-related crafts. We bring a wealth of practical and industry experience to the arbitration process. We work with carriers to obtain the best result possible while always controlling the cost of the process with appropriate staffing decisions. As such, you will never have two attorneys at a System Board hearing involving one grievance.

Finally, our experience extends to the handling of all types of legal claims in the courtroom. We have litigated RLA cases involving a broad range of issues including status quo disputes, preemption of state law claims, defenses and challenges to System Board of Adjustment Awards, Section Two Third claims related to the selection of Union representatives and discrimination claims under Section 152 Fourth.