Senior Labor Relations Consultant

NiSource•Columbus, OH

6d•$96,600 - $144,900•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Consultant helps administer and enforce collective bargaining agreements ("CBAs") between unions, employees and management. Common tasks include grievance handling, conducting fact finding investigations in accordance with CBAs, facilitating discussions between union leaders and management, drafting agreements and participating in negotiations. In addition, provides execution support for Labor Relations and Positive Employee Relations strategies. The incumbent partners with other groups to design appropriate interventions such as metrics, dashboards, risk assessment templates and manager training programs.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Labor Relations, Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management, Business Administration OR 4-6 years of related job experience
Working knowledge of employment laws and experience dealing with legal issues involving EEOC, DOL, NLRB and other related concerns
Ability to effectively and professionally communicate – both verbally and in writing
Ability to quickly and effectively establish rapport with all levels of leadership
Excellent judgment, critical thinking skills, and analytical ability
Ability to balance working both autonomously day-to-day, and also collaboratively within a team environment and with other departments overall
Ability to think creatively and proactively in identifying potential issues and resolving known issues
Ability to navigate complex cases and high case volume
Desire to continuously learn and stay up-to-date on employee related trends, issues and concerns
Ability to discern issues that need to be escalated
Authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience and knowledge of wholistic HR functions or COEs

Responsibilities

Conducts fact finding investigations in accordance with CBAs in order to comply with just cause standards and sustain corrective action issued
Provides support and counsel to management when responding to grievances
Manages and facilitates grievance hearings and ensures management is prepared
Assists in preparation of arbitrations and serves as company witness when requested
Researches and drafts agreements (e.g. MOA, MOU) at departmental and employee level to address issues which may arise outside of formal CBA negotiations
Mediates disputes between management, union leaders and employees
Develops and maintains a constructive relationship with union leaders in order to build a foundation of trust for negotiating and resolving matters
Provides management with day-to-day contract interpretation assistance of CBA provisions
Supports implementation of labor relations strategies
Participates in the company labor negotiations process to achieve desired outcomes, and effectuate bargaining strategies that enable business objectives
Advocates for employee’s rights when appropriate in order to foster positive employee engagement and work environment
Supports key labor strategies and tactics, including union avoidance, and union campaign strategy and management
Builds and maintains an employee and labor relations scorecard to reveal trends, progress and issues
Partners with talent management function to design and deliver management training interventions
Advises and coaches leaders on the latest labor and employee relations trends that could positively or negatively impact the Company
Provides strategic counsel to leaders in administering collective bargaining agreements and labor relation policies/practices that are in compliance with federal /state laws and Company policies/practices
Provides labor consultation to various supporting departments on matters impacting collective bargaining agreements and represented workforce