Impact Bargaining

Robb Craddock Related Seminars and Products

Executive Director

University of Illinois

Robb B. Craddock currently serves as Executive Director of Labor and Employee Relations within Illinois Human Resources at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this role, Mr. Craddock acts as the University’s chief labor relations spokesperson and oversees the administration of 18 collective bargaining agreements covering Civil Service employees and 4 agreements covering Academic employees. He also represents the Chancellor and Provost in grievance proceedings.

Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Mr. Craddock served as Deputy Director of Labor Relations for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) from September 2008 to January 2015. In that capacity, he managed labor relations on behalf of the Office of the Governor, representing the largest employer in the State of Illinois. His work involved negotiations with a broad range of labor unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Teamsters, and various trade unions.  In 2019, Mr. Craddock returned to CMS in collaboration with the University of Illinois to serve as Chief Labor Relations Negotiator and Executive Branch Labor Relations Advisor. During this tenure, he successfully negotiated a resolution with AFSCME Council 31, concluding a four-year labor dispute. In October 2013, Mr. Craddock accepted the James Baird Leadership Award on behalf of CMS, presented by the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association (IPELRA). This annual award recognizes outstanding leadership and achievement in public sector labor relations in Illinois.

Mr. Craddock is an active member of the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association and serves on the board of IPELRA. He holds a Master of Public Administration with a graduate certificate in Public Sector Labor Relations from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Illinois University

Laura Finnegan Related Seminars and Products

Baum Sigman Auerbach & Neuman Ltd.

Thomas Melody Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Klein Thorpe & Jenkins Ltd.

Thomas M. Melody graduated from Loyola University of Chicago in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1994.

Mr. Melody is an equity shareholder in the law firm of Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd., and his experience includes the general practice of school and municipal law, with a focus on labor and employment law. He has negotiated many collective bargaining agreements, and represents employers in all facets of labor and employment law, including contract administration, grievance arbitration, and statutory compliance. Mr. Melody has represented numerous public sector employers in both State and federal courts, as well as before State and federal administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Labor Relations Board, and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. He has also handled numerous matters before local Civil Service Commissions and Fire and Police Commissions.

Mr. Melody is the co-author of the “Formal Dismissal and Suspension Procedures Under Illinois Tenure Law,” Illinois School Law, IICLE, and he is also one of the authors of the “Handbook on Practice and Procedure in Police and Fire Disciplinary Matters”, and “Home Rule vs. Non-Home Rule (What’s Best For Your Municipality?)”, both of which were published by the Illinois Municipal League. Mr. Melody has also written numerous articles on school law and labor law issues.

Mr. Melody is a frequent speaker on labor and employment law issues, as well as school and municipal law issues. Mr. Melody’s most recent presentations include “9-1-1 Dispatch System Consolidation” at the 2016 IML Conference, “Employee Use of Social Media” at the Will County Police Chiefs Annual Conference and “Negotiating Through a Public Safety Consolidation” at the 2016 IPELRA Conference. In addition, Mr. Melody has provided seminars on municipal labor law for the Illinois Metro Managers Association, the Illinois Municipal League, Chicago Kent Annual Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Conference and Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies.

Nicholas Christen Related Seminars and Products

General Counsel & Director of Field and Organizing

Illinois Federation of Teachers

Nicholas Christen is the General Counsel and Director of Field and Organizing at the Illinois Federation of Teachers. He advises leaders and staff on issues affecting the 100,000+ members of the union, including collective bargaining, organizing, discipline, discrimination, organizing, healthcare, and retirement. Nicholas has successfully advocated before private and public sector labor boards, resolved difficult legislative and administrative roadblocks impacting workers’ rights, led negotiations for units large and small in high-stakes negotiations, and advocated for union members from the shop floor to the Court of Appeals. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Miami University and his J.D. from Salmon P. Chase College of Law.