Labor Relations Specialist II/III Grade, N23/N26

Labor Relations Specialist

The Office of Labor Relations (OLR) is committed to fostering integrity to improve relationships and outcomes for the County, its union partners, and its employees. OLR guides the County through complex labor and employment matters in accordance with our core values: be credible, put people first/forward, take ownership, and earn trust.

In our daily work as labor and employee relations professionals, our team:

• Negotiates and administers collective bargaining agreements.
• Manages joint labor-management initiatives and programs.
• Oversees processes that address workplace disputes.
• Coordinates disputes and appeal procedures involving bargaining unit and non-bargaining unit employees.
• Manages the County's relationships with labor organizations and the general workforce.
• Offers training and guidance to supervisors, managers, and administrative professionals.
• Provides early-intervention strategies in workplace disputes.
• Implements changes to personnel policy and personnel regulations.
• Utilizes databases and software platforms to enter and track information and assignments.

The Office of Labor Relations is currently recruiting mid-level and experienced Labor Relations Specialists who are interested in working for our local government and serving our workforce. The ideal candidate must have a proactive approach to their work and have a willingness to effectuate solutions and improvements. This candidate will be able to draw on their analytical abilities, communication skills, and professional experience (ideally from prior collective bargaining and labor relations roles) to assist the Office of Labor Relations to build, improve, and maintain a model labor relations program. In their day-to-day engagements, this candidate takes an interest-based and collaborative approach to their interactions, work, and ideas.

Highly successful Labor Relations Specialists routinely:

• Perform extensive research and analysis of Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions, the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations, County/State/Federal Labor laws, and past practices.
• Produce complex arguments, positions, proposals and action plans based on sound judgement, risk assessment, and defendable positions.
• Represent the County in collective bargaining activities with unions.
• Independently plan and complete high-quality work assignments within deadlines.
• Create amicable professional relationships with colleagues, clients, negotiating teams, and stakeholders.

Labor Relations Specialists are assigned the following major categories of work:

Collective Bargaining: Participate in the development and implementation of the collective bargaining strategy in the negotiation of labor agreements, sometimes within highly stressful circumstances and timeframes.

Grievances: Administer the County's grievance processes, ensuring the County and collectively bargained procedures are met and documented.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Advising management on adverse actions and conducting meetings with the union and legal representatives to negotiate resolutions.

Conflict Facilitation, Training, and other related/assigned duties: Facilitate Labor Management Relations Committee (LMRC) meetings, create and implement training, and determine bargaining unit designations for positions.

Duties to support these functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Interpreting collective bargaining agreements and regulations; conducting reviews of adverse actions proposed by departments for conformance with union contracts, Personnel Regulations, Administrative Procedures, and departmental policies.
• Meeting with employees, department representatives, and union representatives to resolve complaints and grievances.
• Conducting grievance hearings and mediations; preparing final grievance decisions for the Chief Labor Relations Officer's review and signature.
• Leading department-level bargaining and supporting collective bargaining, including research, taking notes, drafting contract language, coordinating bargaining logistics, and coordinating post-negotiations review and implementation.
• Conducting research on labor and employer relations issues; developing and delivering labor relations training.
• Coordinating, administering, and supporting labor programs and activities; coordinating and leading joint labor -management committees and initiatives.

Work is performed with considerable independence and latitude but is subject to administrative review and approval by the Chief Labor Relations Officer, Deputy Chief Labor Relations Officer, senior staff members, or designee(s). These positions require the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office, and sometimes to work additional hours that fall outside our normal work schedules.

During periods of term bargaining, Labor Relations Specialists are required to work outside of normal business hours. This may include working very late nights during the week, weekend hours, and additional hours in excess of 40 per week. The duration of this requirement is approximately 2 weeks per year.

Experience: If filled at Labor Relations Specialist III: Three (3) years of professional experience related to labor/employee relations or a directly related field. If filled at Labor Relations Specialist II: Two (2) years of professional experience related to labor/employee relations or a directly related field. Both Levels– Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Business or Public Administration or related field. Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted. Medical Protocol: This position requires completion of a pre-employment Medical History Form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.

All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be placed on the Referred List and may be considered for an interview. Preference for interviews will be given to applicants who clearly indicate their demonstrated experience as follows:

• Experience in labor-management negotiations/collective bargaining activities, ideally with Police, Firefighter, and/or Public Employee unions.
• Experience administering conflict facilitation or alternative dispute resolution programs.
• Experience providing guidance and training to employees and/or managers on a full range of labor relations issues.
• Experience in developing, interpreting, and implementing labor policies, labor contract provisions, and personnel regulations.
• Experience in labor and employee relations with a government agency.
• Experience writing labor contract provisions, grievance decisions, or similar types of documents.
• Experience in drafting documents necessary for disciplinary actions and in the administration of progressive discipline.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at View email address on click.appcast.io . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.