Employee and Labor Relations Manager
Employee and Labor Relations Manager
Position ID: 155782
About State University of New York at Fredonia:
The State University of New York at Fredonia is one of the crown jewels in the 64-campus State University of New York system. Founded in 1826, Fredonia is a highly ranked comprehensive, selective, public, residential, liberal arts university that enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 80+ majors and 50+ minors. Fredonia is consistently ranked as a top public university for academics, value, and social mobility. Fredonia is known for its strong academic programs, professional, award-winning faculty, a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, and a strong focus on student success.
The 256-acre campus, known for beautiful green spaces and attractive architecture, is located one mile from the shore of Lake Erie in beautiful Western New York with ready access to fishing, swimming, and lakefront attractions. Fredonia is centrally located between several large metropolitan areas. It is one hour south of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, 45 minutes north of Erie, PA, and just 2 ½ hours from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Toronto.
Fredonia is a safe village community with beautiful Victorian homes situated in the heart of Western New York wine country. The location affords residents all four authentic weather seasons; warm and sunshine-filled, yet comfortable spring and summer, vibrant colors across rolling hills with the changing leaves of autumn, and the picturesque landscapes and accompanying outdoor activities of winter.
SUNY provides a competitive salary and benefits package.
Fredonia's faculty and staff focus on ensuring that all students will achieve the Institutional Learning Goals:
- SKILLED Develop Intellectual and Applied Skills, Literacies and Knowledge
- CONNECTED Engage Community and Diversity: Local Stewardship, Global Citizenship
- CREATIVE Demonstrate Scholarship, Artistry, and Innovation
- RESPONSIBLE Activate Sustainability, Ethics, Leadership, and Professionalism
Job Description:
The Employee and Labor Relations Manager is a strategic business partner charged with supporting the college's goals of developing supportive, productive and collaborative employee and labor management relationships. Under the supervision of the Director, the Employee and Labor Relations Manager ensures that human resources provides timely, consistent and appropriate guidance to employees and management regarding employee and labor relations matters, and maintains compliance with all regulations, policies and collective bargaining agreements.
Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the Director, the successful candidate will:
- Ensure that employee and labor relations matters are resolved in a fair, consistent and collaborative manner.
- Independently handle employee and labor relations matters, providing support and guidance to supervisors and staff on a range of employee and labor relations matters including application of collective bargaining agreements, informal and formal coaching and counseling, conducting workplace investigations, responding to union grievances, administration of contractual disciplinary process, etc.
- Ensure processes and guidance are consistent with current regulations, policies, and applicable collective bargaining agreements.
- Complete research and gather documentation related to labor relations issues and compile reports for management information purposes.
- Conduct workplace investigations, including interviews and interrogations, in a timely, thorough and respectful manner.
- Participate in labor management meetings, grievance hearings, local handbook negotiation, and other labor management processes as assigned. This includes coordinating and contributing to meeting agendas and ensuring appropriate follow-up of action items identified during meetings.
- Maintain collaborative and open lines of communication with shared governance and union leaders and work collaboratively with unions to find appropriate resolution to issues and concerns.
- Apply knowledge and experience to improve HR systems and processes.
- Legal compliance updates are applied timely to HR-related matters and processes.
- May recommend, research, design and/or present training on relevant topics to employees and supervisors to improve the employee experience and educate staff on matters related to employee and labor relations.
- Be a resource to HR staff. Answer HR staff and employee questions regarding complex matters including ADA, FMLA, contract interpretation, etc.
- Occasionally act as employer representative at unemployment hearings.
- May act as deputy for the Director and manage HR and HR staff in the absence of the Director.
- Performs all other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated experience conducting workplace investigations independently and drafting related documentation.
- Experience with collective bargaining agreements to include interpretation, compliance, education and enforcement at the pre-arbitration level.
- Knowledge of NYS and Federal laws, regulations related to employment and labor relations. Working knowledge of NYS Taylor Law and NYS Civil Service.
- Experience creating and applying policies, particularly in a public/union environment.
- Transparent and collaborative leader comfortable leading and supporting change in a complex environment.
- Committed to fostering a respectful and positive work environment.
- Committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and using a lens of equity in one's work to ensure we foster a supportive environment for all employees.
- Must be highly proficient in both the Microsoft Office Suite applications and comfortable with a Google workspace.
- Exceptional problem solving, analytical and investigative skills.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and innovatively while supporting the organization's initiatives.
- Solid track record of process improvement and optimization.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and negotiate with people at all levels.
- Use of data in compiling reports on HR matters as necessary to inform decision-making.
- Exceptional integrity, ethics and business acumen.
Requirements:
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree
- Demonstrated experience in employee/labor relations
- Experience conducting workplace investigations or demonstrated experience in employment and/or labor law
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in a related field, JD, MBA, or HR certification such as PHR, SHRM-CP, SPHR.
- Prior experience in a public sector, unionized environment, preferably in HR/labor relations related role.
- Experience in higher education.
- Supervisory experience.
Additional Information:
This is a full-time, managerial confidential position beginning January 2023 (exact start date negotiable). Salary based on experience. Please note that this position will be primarily on campus/in person.
https://fredonia.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=155782
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Rewards & Benefits
- Competitive compensation plus comprehensive benefits plan including health, dental, and vision insurance and retirement plan options including a fixed pension plan or a 401(A) with generous employer contributions;
- Paid leave provisions including vacation, sick, and holiday leave; impressive educational benefits including tuition-free study plus supplemental tuition aid;
- A rich array of services, programs and benefits to help employees advance in their career and enhance the quality of their personal life, including professional development programs and services, employee EAP and wellness programs, discounted membership to the on-campus fitness center, and access to the Campus and Community Child Care Center.
Other information:
Fredonia prides itself on an outstanding workforce. To continually support organizational excellence, the university conducts background screens on applicants.
Pursuant to University policy, the University is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, or domestic violence victim status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.
The University's policy is in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination and harassment. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law. These laws prohibit discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.
SUNY Fredonia is actively recruiting diverse faculty of all backgrounds. In efforts and our commitment to the goal of building a diverse workforce we are participating in PRODiG. PRODiG ("Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth") aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority ("URM") faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields ("WSTEM"). Click this link https://www.suny.edu/prodig/ to find out more about PRODiG.
Application Instructions:
Interested candidates shall apply and submit the required documents listed below by clicking on the APPLY NOW button. Complete applications received by December 15, 2022 will be given full consideration.
- Cover Letter
- Resume/CV
- Information for at least three professional references (references will not be contacted without notification)
Note: After submitting your Resume/CV, the subsequent page gives you instructions that enable you to upload the additional, required documents.
An Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer, Fredonia provides for, and promotes, equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment, without discrimination.