Senior Manager, Labor Relations

Senior Labor Relations Manager

The Senior Labor Relations Manager is a key member of the Human Resources team and is responsible for advancing a consistent, strategic, and legally compliant labor and employee relations program at Brookdale and across One Brooklyn Health (OBH). This role serves as a trusted advisor to operational and clinical leaders, Human Resources colleagues, and union representatives on the interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreements, employee discipline, grievance resolution, investigations, arbitrations, and labor-management initiatives.

The Senior Labor Relations Manager will help foster productive labor partnerships while protecting OBH's operational, financial, and patient-care objectives. The successful candidate brings sound judgment, strong negotiation capability, exceptional written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to manage complex employee and union matters in a fast-paced, highly regulated healthcare environment.

Responsibilities

Labor Relations Strategy and Contract Administration:

• Interpret, administer, and ensure consistent application of collective bargaining agreements, policies, procedures, past practices, and applicable laws.
• Serve as a principal liaison between Health System leadership, department management, and represented employees and union officials, including 1199SEIU and other collective bargaining units as applicable.
• Advise leaders on contract provisions involving discipline, seniority, job postings, bidding, promotions, transfers, layoffs, recalls, scheduling, overtime, wages, leaves, and other employment matters.
• Identify trends, recurring issues, and operational risks requiring policy clarification, management education, or labor-management intervention.

Grievance, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution:

• Lead the investigation, preparation, and adjudication of advanced-stage grievances, including third-step grievance hearings.
• Prepare, present, and manage grievance, arbitration, unemployment insurance, and other governmental/agency matters.
• Negotiate grievance settlements and arbitration resolutions, in consultation with Human Resources leadership and Legal Counsel, when appropriate.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and confidential records related to grievances, arbitrations, disciplinary actions, agency complaints, unemployment matters, and labor-management meetings.
• Monitor grievance and arbitration activity to identify root causes and recommend corrective action to reduce repeat issues.

Employee Relations, Investigations, and Discipline:

• Conduct or oversee prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations involving employee complaints, workplace concerns, misconduct allegations, and policy violations.
• Counsel leaders on fair, consistent, and legally defensible corrective action, performance management, and documentation practices.
• Partner with Human Resources Business Partners, Compliance, Legal, Security, Risk Management, and operational leadership on sensitive employee relations matters.
• Support the resolution of internal and external employee complaints, including those involving government agencies or legal representatives.
• Ensure consistent application of Health System policies, collective bargaining agreements, and relevant federal, state, and local employment laws.

Leadership Development and Labor-Management Partnerships:

• Train and coach managers, directors, and supervisors on labor relations fundamentals, contract administration, effective documentation, investigations, discipline, and conflict resolution.
• Facilitate departmental and system-level labor-management meetings to address workplace issues, promote communication, and support constructive union relationships.
• Partner with leadership to develop proactive employee engagement, recognition, retention, and workplace culture initiatives.
• Provide guidance during organizational changes, restructuring, workforce planning, and other initiatives with implications for labor relations.
• Participate in collective bargaining preparation and negotiations, including proposal development, costing support, research, and implementation of negotiated agreements.

Operations and Continuous Improvement:

• Prepare regular reports and dashboards on grievances, arbitrations, discipline trends, union activity, investigations, and labor relations risk indicators.
• Recommend and assist with the development, revision, and implementation of Human Resources policies, procedures, and practices.
• Participate in special projects and perform other related duties as assigned.
• Follow through with departments on completing performance evaluations and annual mandatory and other relevant training in compliance with OBH standards and timelines.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required or combined relevant experience required.
• Master's degree, Juris Doctor, preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in labor relations, employee relations, or human resources required.
• Minimum of three (3) years in leadership, management, or senior-level labor relations capacity required.
• Demonstrated experience administering collective bargaining agreements, managing grievance procedures, conducting investigations, and preparing matters for arbitration required.
• Experience in a unionized healthcare, hospital, long-term care, or similarly complex, highly regulated environment strongly preferred.
• Experience working with 1199SEIU or other healthcare unions strongly preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong knowledge of labor relations principles, collective bargaining agreement administration, grievance handling, arbitration preparation, and dispute resolution.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including those applicable to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, leave administration, and workplace investigations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with sound judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and professionalism.
• Strong negotiation, mediation, conflict-resolution, and relationship-management skills.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to prepare investigatory summaries, disciplinary notices, grievance responses, settlement agreements, and hearing materials.
• Ability to influence and coach leaders at all levels of the organization, including senior executives, department heads, clinical leaders, and front-line managers.
• Ability to analyze complex facts, identify risks, develop practical recommendations, and make timely decisions.
• Strong organizational and case-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, hearings, and projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, HRIS platforms, case-management systems, virtual meeting platforms, and reporting tools.

Licenses/Certifications:

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification, or labor relations certification, preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Position requires prolonged periods of sitting and use of a computer and screen viewing throughout the working day.
• Position requires prolonged periods of standing, reaching, walking throughout the working day.
• Position will be required to stoop, bend, lift, and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds.