A panel comprised of a labor advocate, management advocate and a neutral arbitrator will discuss the fundamentals of arbitration and mediation, including best practices and pitfalls.
Jeanne Charles is a native of Chicago but resides in Florida with a national ADR practice including arbitration, mediation and fact-finding predominately in the areas of workplace disputes. She earned her Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. She currently serves as a labor arbitrator on various panels in Chicago, Miami and New York in addition to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the US Anti-Doping Agency and Major League Baseball (MLB). Ms. Charles is also a Special Magistrate for the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) and is listed with the American Arbitration Association, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and National Mediation Board. In September 2021, Ms. Charles was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden to the Federal Labor Relations Authority Federal Service Impasses Panel (Panel). The Panel is an independent entity within the Federal Labor Relations Authority. The Panel’s Chairman and Members serve on a part-time basis and aid in resolving negotiation impasses between federal agencies and labor organizations. Ms. Charles is an adjunct professor at Penn State University’s School of Labor and Employment Relations where she teaches a graduate course in Human Resources and Employment Relations. She also serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Arizona Law School teaching advanced negotiations. Ms. Charles speaks regularly in various venues that include the American Bar Association, American Arbitration Association, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and nation-wide bar association events. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and a Fellow with the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. More detailed information can be found at www.JCharles@JCharlesADR.com.
Jennifer represents private and public sector management clients in all areas of labor and employment law. She has extensive experience advising clients in traditional labor matters, including representation and unfair labor practice proceedings, grievance arbitrations, collective bargaining negotiations, and mediation. She regularly appears before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, Illinois Labor Relations Board, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer was an administrative law judge with the Illinois Labor Relations Board. In that capacity, she investigated and presided over unfair labor practice and representation proceedings, issued recommended decisions and orders and advised the Board on pending court litigation. She also worked as an assistant general counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, where she represented the union in grievance arbitration hearings and in matters pending before the National Labor Relations Board, as well as state and federal courts. In addition, she has served as an adjunct professor at DePaul University College of Law where she taught Labor Relations in the Public Sector.
Jennifer is a member of the American (Labor & Employment Section), Illinois State (Labor & Employment Section) and the Chicago Bar Associations.
Education
J.D., with honors, DePaul University College of Law, 1999 (Order of the Coif)
B.A., the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996 (political science)
Thad has served as in-house counsel for the Chicago Teachers Union since 2012, and as Deputy General Counsel since 2019. He represents the CTU and its members in collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, discipline and discharge proceedings, labor board proceedings, and related litigation. The Chicago Teachers Union represents nearly 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in schools funded by City of Chicago School District 299, and by extension, the over 300,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third-largest teachers local in the United States. Thad holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and a law degree and certificate in labor and employment law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Opening Plenary: The State of the Illinois Workforce Pre- and Post-Pandemic
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |
Hybrid Mediation and Arbitration Process (Med-Arb) using the Same Neutral
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |
Post Lunch Plenary: DEI Efforts in the Workplace after the Supreme Court's 2023 Affirmative Action Case
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |
AI in Labor & Employment Law: Myths, Realities, and Ethical Considerations
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |
Is there a better way? Grievance med-arb lessons from north of the border
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |
Fundamentals: Representation in Grievances and Disciplinary Proceedings
Original Program Date: 12/01/2023 |