Interest Arbitration, A Year in Review: The Impact of COVID and More

Tamara Cummings Related seminars and products

General Counsel

Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council

Tamara Cummings serves as General Counsel to the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, a large public sector union representing law enforcement bargaining units. She has held that position since January, 2010.  She has worked as an attorney for the Labor Council since 2003, and in this capacity she has represented law enforcement officers and civilian employees in all areas of labor and employment relations.  She has acted as lead counsel in contract negotiations, grievance arbitrations, interest arbitrations, discipline hearings and various court cases in circuit and appellate courts throughout the State of Illinois. Tamara has been responsible for organizing picket lines and civic protests.  Tamara oversees member and employee training and is the chief speaker at Labor Council Critical Incident Seminars which have been held across the State and attended by union members, State’s Attorneys, Chiefs of Police and County Sheriffs. Tamara is also actively involved in the legislative process, working closely with lobbyists to analyze and draft legislation. She has testified on numerous occasions both in support of and in opposition to various pieces of legislation that impact the membership. Tamara is a fellow of the American Bar Association’s College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers is a non-profit professional association honoring the leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of Labor and Employment Law. Prior to joining the Labor Council, Tamara worked for the Law Offices of Joseph V.  Roddy where she primarily defended and represented Chicago Police Officers in administrative, criminal and civil matters. She tried cases in the Cook County Law, Municipal and Criminal Divisions as well as in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  She also prepared and argued appeals before the Illinois Appellate Courts, and the United States Court of Appeals, both the Seventh and Eighth Circuits. Tamara received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and her Juris Doctor degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. 

TIMOTHY E. GUARE Related seminars and products

Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP

Timothy E. Guare, a senior counsel with Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP, has concentrated his practice in labor and employment law for over 35 years. Mr. Guare’s practice has almost exclusively been devoted to the handling of personnel matters and the development of labor law in the public and private sectors in Illinois before the National, Illinois State, Local and Educational Labor Relations Boards.  He has represented his clients in numerous unfair labor practice charges and representation proceedings before the various Boards.  Mr. Guare knows and is well known to the officials and the Administrative Law Judges of the Labor Boards, as well as to other attorneys who practice before the Boards on a regular basis.  He has handled labor and employment cases in the Illinois and federal court systems, including cases before the Appellate Courts.  Not only has Mr. Guare negotiated hundreds of contracts for public entities over the last several years, but he has also provided assistance to clients in their contract administration, including grievance processing and counseling. Mr. Guare’s background includes a wealth of first-hand experience with all levels of the myriad challenges facing public employers, and has been named an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Labor and Employment law by his peers in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  A native of the Chicago area, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago and his Juris Doctor from DePaul University. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Guare was a teacher of mathematics in public schools.  He also served as a Board member of his local high school district.  Mr. Guare has authored sections on public sector labor and employment for IICLE's volumes on School Law and Municipal Law.

Brian E. Reynolds Related seminars and products

Arbitrator

Brian E. Reynolds has been a labor arbitrator, based in Springfield, Illinois, since 2004.  From 1985 until 2003, Mr. Reynolds served as Executive Director of the Illinois Labor Relations Board.  Prior to joining the Board, he served as a labor attorney for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and as an attorney for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Illinois Commerce Commission.  Mr. Reynolds received his J.D. degree from the University of Illinois in 1978 and his B.A. in Economics from the University of  Dayton in 1975.