Labor Relations Manager

Summary

The Labor Relations Manager is responsible for managing union labor relations across the region, with a primary focus on supporting construction operations, maintaining strong relationships with building trade unions, administering labor agreements, resolving disputes, and coordinating craft labor needs. S/he works closely with Operations, Craft Leadership, Payroll, Legal, and HR to ensure the company meets its labor obligations while maintaining productive, long-term relationships with union partners.

Roles and Responsibilities

Labor Relations Manager will possess competency in the areas listed below in order to perform his/her role in a safe, productive, and effective manner.  Note that the areas listed are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by co-workers assigned to this role.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.

Responsible for Labor Relations and Union Management:

• Serves as a primary company representative with local, regional, and international building trade unions.
• Reviews, interprets, and administers CBAs, PLAs, national agreements, Books of Decisions, and related labor agreements.
• Negotiates single-job agreements, letters of assent, site extensions, and other project-specific labor arrangements.
• Handles grievances, disputes, jurisdictional issues, and other labor-management matters.
• Attends NCA, TAUC, labor-management, and other applicable industries or union association meetings.
• Coordinates with Operations and Craft Leadership on current and future labor needs.
• Supports Payroll with wage rate determination, fringe benefits, deductions, and other union requirements.
• Assist craft co-workers and internal teams with benefit reciprocity and related benefit issues
• Serves on union trust fund boards or labor-management committees as assigned
• Monitors labor-market conditions, union activity, and issues that may affect current or future projects
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with union representatives and industry partners

Ensures a Safe Work Environment:

• Champions Incident and Injury Free (IIF) environment 
• Sets example by following safety guidelines 
• Complies with proper safety procedures

Participates in Training / Certifications:

• 70% attendance at ROCK  Nights
• 40 hours of approved career related training 
• Presentation, leadership and general business training

Requirements

The Labor Relations Manager will possess the knowledge, skill, and/or ability in the following areas essential to perform the functions of the position.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of 7 years’ of union construction labor relations, constructions operations, contractor associations, building trades or closely related field related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated experience interpreting CBAs and PLAs and resolving labor-related issues.
• Experience negotiating and/or administering project-specific labor agreements
• Strong knowledge of union wage structures, fringe benefits, hiring practices, jurisdiction, and craft labor requirements
• Direct experience working with union building trades is strongly preferred

Language / Communication Skills:

• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedures  
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, and customers
• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of management, craftsmen and customers
• Strong written and verbal communication

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as cost benefit analysis.
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to analyze and compute mathematical differences from all stages of drawings from conceptual to final drawings including development of shop drawings.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft software programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to understand, customize and modify spreadsheets.

Interpersonal Skills:

• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills
• Excellent negotiation and conflict-resolution ability
• Excellent negotiation and conflict-resolution ability
• Calm and professional in difficult or contentious situations
• Politically and organizationally aware
• Ability to be confidently assertive without damaging relationships
• Maintains high integrity and sound judgment

Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to define problems, collect information, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to understand contracts/agreements and how they relate to the scope of work.
• Ability to be proactive and apply creative thinking to maximize our return on investment at all times

Physical Demands:

• Requires ability to maneuver in and out of job site trailers and various stages of job site terrains
• Frequently required to use hands to handle or feel
• Regularly required to sit, talk and listen
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms
• Ability to travel throughout the US as needed
• Must have the ability to exert physical effort, handling average weight objects up to 10 pounds

Work Environment:

• Work is a combination of office and field environments involving various types of conditions encountered on the construction site 
• Involves exposure to outside weather and job site conditions