Employee Relations Counsel
One of the many significant benefits of CATA membership is access to the CATA's Employee Relations Counsel for advice and counsel regarding various types of labor and employment issues. Some of these legal services are available to CATA members on a reduced cost basis.
The CATA has retained David P. Radelet of Franczek Radelet P.C. to serve as CATA Employee Relations Counsel. Dave has represented management in labor and employment matters for over 30 years. Located in downtown Chicago, Franczek Radelet has over 50 attorneys and focuses exclusively on counseling and representing management in labor, employment and employee benefits matters.
DAVID P. RADELET, ESQ.
FRANCZEK RADELET P.C.
300 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3400
Chicago, IL 60606
312-986-0300 / Fax 312-986-9192
Email: dpr@franczek.com
Dave and his colleagues at Franczek Radelet enjoy a national reputation as one of the leading management labor and employment law firms, and the CATA is pleased to be able to offer the services of Franczek Radelet to its member dealers.
In order to fully serve the needs of the CATA and its members, Dave has assembled a team of attorneys at Franczek Radelet who understand how car dealerships operate, are familiar with the CATA and its various union contracts, and offer an expertise in a wide variety of labor and employment issues. Some of the areas in which Franczek Radelet can offer assistance to dealers are listed below:
- General employment counseling: providing day-to-day counseling for dealers to help navigate the growing number of statutes, ordinances and court decisions affecting the workplace.
- Employment litigation: defending dealers in employment discrimination charges (age, sex, race, religion, national origin, etc.) filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Illinois Department of Human Rights, or in employment-related lawsuits of any kind filed in state or federal court.
- Union contract negotiations: negotiating contracts with unions that represent dealer employees.
- Interpretation and application of union contract language: assisting dealers in determining their rights and obligations and resolving disputes under existing union contracts.
- Union organizing attempts among dealer employees:
- advising dealers in the context of union organizing drives and providing union-preventative education for non-union dealers.
- Workplace safety: answering dealer inquiries relating to worker safety under the Occupational Safety and Health law.
- Employee benefits issues: providing advice and counsel on benefit plan design, application and interpretation.
Dave and his team stand ready to serve you. We encourage all dealers to contact them with any labor and employment issue or problem.
Employee Relations Committee
A report from CATA's 2010-2011 Employee Relations Committee Chairman John Webb
Again this year, our Employee Relations Committee remained extremely active in assisting member dealers with a variety of labor and employment matters. With the major union negotiations on behalf of our dealers concluded last year, this year was focused more on supporting individual dealers with day-to-day employment issues.
Literally every day, our member dealers are assisted by Employee Relations counsel Dave Radelet and his team of talented employment attorneys at Franczek Radelet P. C. as they confront a wide variety of employment issues, disputes and questions at their dealership.
Considerable time was spent assisting dealers in developing employment policies and employee handbooks through use of the "Employee Handbook Starter Kit" that was developed for our member dealers a few years ago by Dave and his team. We also experienced considerable success assisting a number of dealers who were faced with union organizing activity among different groups of employees. In addition, training seminars were provided for all member dealers free of charge on wage/hour issues and maintaining a union-free environment.
Add to that a variety of activities that were undertaken to guide unionized dealers on issues arising under their union contracts and with the joint dealer/union benefit funds, and you can readily see that this year was another very active year for your Employee Relations Committee. The feedback from our dealers as to the value of these services has been extremely positive, and we are gratified to be able to continue to offer this important support to our CATA members at no charge.