Labor Relations Advocate - Hybrid - 135482

Our Team

The Health Human Resources Labor Relations Team serves a critical role in ensuring UC San Diego Health effectively navigates through a variety of complex issues associated with the negotiation, implementation, and interpretation of several systemwide and local collective bargaining agreements while maintaining the best patient care. The University of California currently has systemwide collective bargaining agreements in place with eight unions with some unions having several collective bargaining units.Our dedicated team provides detailed, timely, and accurate services in a dynamic fast-paced environment while fostering positive relationships between the unions and University leadership. We provide hybrid work arrangements with the team currently on site three days a week and occasional travel is expected.

The Position

The Labor Relations Representative serves as a technical leader while providing guidance to all levels within the organization, resolving highly complex issues, and navigating labor-management relations in a highly unionized healthcare environment within the UCSD Health and Health Sciences organization.The successful candidate will maintain an individual case load in a fast-paced environment and serve as a lead in a variety of highly advanced labor relations contexts, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Independently providing appropriate guidance regarding collective bargaining agreement interpretation and application to ensure adherence to contract provisions and applicable labor laws;
• Advocating on behalf of the University while processing grievances, arbitrations, and administrative litigation, potentially in collaboration with outside counsel;
• Ensuring all contractual, legal, and internal deadlines are adhered to and providing appropriate and timely updates to management as needed;
• Participating in local and systemwide contract negotiations to advance the interests of the organization;
• Consistently representing the organization in a professional and respectful manner;
• Collaborating within the organization to obtain relevant information and documents to respond to union and organization requests for information and other inquiries;
• Maintaining adequate records at all times to preserve necessary documentation critical to the defense of the organization in labor contexts; and
• Other duties as assigned.

• Nine years of relevant experience, education/training; OR a bachelor's degree plus five years of experience and proven success negotiating and resolving disputes, reading and interpreting complex legal documents, and engaging with external agencies in administrative proceedings.
• Ability to relate well with people at all levels of the organization and to represent the organization as a professional at all times.*Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply policy, procedure, and management goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with varying levels of personnel, including colleagues, managers, and external entities.
• Ability to work independently under pressure and to complete assignments in a timely and correct manner while also collaborating as a leading member of a team environment.
• Proven ability to appropriately manage competing work assignments in a fast-paced environment and set appropriate priorities.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment and labor laws.
• Solid PC literacy, including Microsoft Office products.
• Proven skill in analyzing information to define the problem or objective; identify relevant concerns, patterns or relationships; formulate logical and objective conclusions; and recommend alternatives and their implications.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of discretion, integrity, and sensitivity to confidentiality and privacy.

• Experience will ideally include a background in Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and/or labor/employment litigation role. Trial and/or litigation experience is preferred, though not required.
• Familiarity with healthcare, higher education, and/or unionized environments and the issues unique to these settings.
• Master's degree in Labor Relations/Industrial Relations and/or JD desired.
• Experience with union litigation/arbitration.
• Experience with HEERA/PERB/EEOC/Ca. Dept. of Civil Rights.
• Experience with UC staff personnel policies/procedures and union contracts.
• Healthcare Human Resources experience.
• Experience fact-finding and conducting formal investigations within a unionized environment.
• Experience in alternative dispute resolution, labor contract negotiations, and/or formal settlement negotiations and drafting.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.