Fundamentals of the NLRA - Unfair Labor Practices

Elizabeth S. Cortez Related Seminars and Products

Attorney

National Labor Relations Board, Region 13

 Elizabeth Cortez has been an attorney with Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board, for 22 years. Ms. Cortez also serves as the Region’s EEO Counselor. Ms. Cortez earned a law degree from The John Marshall Law School and a BA in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to law school, Ms. Cortez worked for the Illinois Department of Human Rights as an Investigator. 

Melissa Sobota Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Franczek P.C.

Melissa concentrates her practice in both labor and employment law. Her labor experience includes collective bargaining for schools and higher education institutions, municipalities, and county employers. She has experience handling union certification petitions, severance petitions, as well as litigating unfair labor practice charges and grievances before the Illinois Labor Relations Board and Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. She has also advised employers on medical and insurance benefit plan issues in relation to contract negotiations and employee disputes.

Her employment practice includes the defense of employers against discrimination cases filed state court, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. She has also defended employers before the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the Illinois Department of Labor, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Illinois Labor Relations Board.

Her higher education practice includes negotiating collective bargaining agreements, as well as handling grievance arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and representation petitions before the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board on behalf of colleges and universities.

Prior to private practice, Melissa worked with the corporation counsel of the City of Chicago in the Labor Division and defended the City in grievance arbitrations regarding contract disputes, discipline, and medical and benefits plans.

Melissa is a member of the American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section), the Illinois State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section), and the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association.

Emil Totonchi Related Seminars and Products

Associate General Counsel

International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, AFL-CIO

Emil P. Totonchi is Associate General Counsel to the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, AFL-CIO, which represents 23,000 working men and women in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa in many industries, including construction, construction material development, public works, concrete pumping, steel mill service, slag processing, and more.  Prior to joining Local 150’s legal team, Mr. Totonchi served as a Commissioner of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and mediated hundreds of collective bargaining disputes.  Mr. Totonchi previously served as General Counsel to Teamsters Local 705, as well as Associate Counsel and, prior to attending law school, Strategic Researcher for the Service Employees International Union, Local 1.  Mr. Totonchi received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC.  He also received a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Labor and Employment Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he currently teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Law.