Labor and Employment

The Labor and Employment Law Practice Group includes experienced litigators who regularly practice before both the federal and state courts in Tennessee. In addition, Group members have extensive

knowledge in handling claims before various administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the federal and state Departments of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.

In the labor law arena, Summers & Wyatt has represented labor unions and their members for more than three decades, and it has been especially devoted to advancing issues that are of particular concern to the labor movement. Group members have represented and advised labor unions, their leadership, and their members on the following issues:

• collective bargaining
• handling of grievances
• the employer or contractor's unfair labor practices
• the union's duty of fair representation
• interpretation of contracts
• administration of apprenticeship programs
• Davis-Bacon
• administration of pension and health-and-welfare trust funds

In the employment law arena, Group members have experience in representing the interests of employees in a variety of employment contexts. Specifically, Group members assist employees who have been victims of the following unlawful employment practices:

• sexual, racial, and religious harassment
• discrimination based upon the employee's age, gender, race, pregnancy, religion, or other unlawful reasons
• discharge, demotion, or discipline because the employee complained of unlawful harassment or discrimination to his or her employer
• denial of leave, under federal and state family and medical leave laws, for serious health conditions, pregnancy, or childbirth
• discharge, demotion, or discipline because the employee tried to "blow the whistle" on an employer's unlawful behavior

Group members also provide advice to employees who are seeking unemployment compensation and who are asked to sign severance packages or non-compete agreements in return for waiving valuable rights.

The primary contacts for this Practice Group are Jerry H. Summers, and Jimmy F. Rodgers, Jr.

Persons seeking additional information about these issues may want to visit the following web sites:

• National Labor Relations Board:
  www.nlrb.gov
• United States Department of Labor:
  www.dol.gov/index.htm
• Tennessee Department of Labor:
  www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/
• Tennessee Division of Employment Security:
  www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/esdiv.html
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
  www.eeoc.gov
• Tennessee Human Rights Commission:
  www.state.tn.us/humanrights/
• THRC Employment Discrimination Charge Form