Director, Labor Relations - Internal/External

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE IS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Maintaining a primary focus on promoting a healthy labor/management climate, the Director, Labor Relations is responsible for managing, motivating, and directing the District's employee and labor relations programs in the areas of labor contract negotiations and contract administration, drug and alcohol testing, employment law compliance, resolution of employee complaints and grievances, providing advice and counsel to staff on disciplinary actions, and serving as an advisor to senior management and the Board on labor and management issues.

Grievance Management: Provides guidance and advice on disciplinary matters; negotiates and resolves sensitive and controversial issues; ensures that negotiated settlements are documented and incorporated into collective bargaining agreements where appropriate. Oversight of District’s grievance process by monitoring the day-to-day administration of disciplinary actions/grievances within all represented groups to ensure compliance with District policies and labor agreements. Contract Administration: Works collaboratively with District managers on employee relations matters to enhance organizational effectiveness and employee experience. Interprets CBAs, MOUs and other union management agreements and advises managers and supervisors on a course of action. Consults with all levels of employees and union representatives to identify and resolve union and employee concerns and issues in an effective, orderly and timely manner. Develops and implements effective counseling of supervisors in the uniform application of disciplinary procedures and measures of agreement between District and Unions. Review union activity for compliance with the terms of their agreement, initiating or directing remedial action for noncompliance with the agreement, and reviewing the actions of all departments for consistent application of the provisions of the applicable agreement. Department Management: Manages the development and implementation of goals, objectives policies and priorities for all assigned programs. Remains current on new trends, developments, court cases and legislation in the labor relations field at both the state and federal levels, with particular expertise and emphasis on public sector/transit labor relations matters. Monitors legislative activity that impacts assigned functional units and formulates recommendations. Manages the Labor Relations staff. Prepares annual departmental budget and monitoring monthly expenditures. Directs the administration of the District’s Safety and Service award program. Drug and Alcohol Program Management: Directs all activities related to the drug and alcohol program. Stays current on latest developments and procedural changes to regulations, meets with employees voluntarily seeking treatment in the District's paid substance abuse treatment program, meets with employees testing positive for a prohibited substances or misuse of alcohol and transitioning them into rehabilitation, overseeing requests for proposals for selection of service providers, monitoring the administration of disciplinary actions, and monitoring subcontractor performance for compliance with regulations. Chief Contract Strategist: Serve as District’s chief strategist and negotiator team for all collective bargaining negotiations and interim agreements. Works with management to ensure accurate rollout of all newly bargained provisions of any settlement or CBA. Communicates District’s official position with union leaders. Designs, coordinates, and assists with the implementation of Districts represented employee relations strategies. Makes recommendations to executives on dealing with labor and employee related issues occurring in the business units. Establishes and maintains organizational plans and programs designed to maintain productive relations between management and represented employees, and union officials. Mediation/Arbitration/Fact-finding/Judicial and Other Legal Matters: Represent the District in all matters related to the legal interpretation of contracts. Coordinates with and assists labor counsel in the procreation and defense of all matters. May prepare briefs for arbitration as well as select arbitrators, gather evidence, prepare and/or testify as a witness. Responsible for the implementation of decisions and judgements. Ongoing Compliance: Oversees strategic & operational efforts to achieve & maintain effective labor/employee relations. Provides strategic advice and counsel, as well as tactical guidance, to internal stakeholders in support of business priorities. Supervises and monitors the administration and application of CBA requirements. Identifies areas of non-compliance and works with leaders to correct them. Leads performance improvement efforts to improve labor processes in the operational areas, ensuring compliance with all CBA requirements while improving efficiencies and effectiveness.

Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Public Administration, Human Resource Management, Labor Relations, Organizational Development, Psychology, Sociology, Industrial Relations, Labor Economics or a related field. Possession of a Juris Doctorate degree is preferred, but not required.

Additional directly related experience beyond the minimum requirement may substitute for the required education based on the ratio of one and a half (1.5) years of experience for each one (1) year of education.

Experience: A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in grievance handling, preparation and presentation of arbitration and at-the-table bargaining, including two (2) years of experience serving as the chief spokesperson and a minimum of two (2) years of experience supervising and directing staff in the performance of the employee and labor relations functions. First chair, chief negotiator experience preferred. Experience with a public transportation agency a plus, but not required.

Proof of required education beyond high school such as college transcripts, diplomas, licenses and/or certificates must be submitted at the time of application, if not substituting experience for the education requirement.

The minimum qualifications as stated on this job announcement represent only the basic requirements of the position. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in other examination segments of the selection process. An employment application, supplemental questionnaire and proof of education, as outlined above, are required for this position. Applications, supplemental questionnaires, and job announcements are available at Human Resources, 2810 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95816, or through our website at www.sacrt.com.

Completed employment application, supplemental questionnaire and proof of education, as outlined above, must be submitted to the Human Resources Department not later than Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. RT does not accept e-mail applications, on-line applications, or late applications regardless of postmark. RT will not process incomplete applications. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of an application, but may be included with the application. For more information on benefits, a summary sheet is available from the Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the recruitment process to accommodate candidates with disabilities. For more information, contact the Human Resources Department at (916) 556-0298.

RT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. EOE – Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans.

Please click here for the Employment and Supplemental Questionnaire