HR Labor Relations Manager
- Summary
Are you invested in helping businesses acquire the best workers and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure fair and equitable opportunities for employees?
Metro Transit is seeking an Employee and Labor Relations Manager (Labor Relations Manager). This position oversees the Transit Employee and Labor relations function -- coordinating and executing on day-to-day employee and labor relations work. This leader also develops, leads and maintains Metro's Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) strategy with Senior Leadership, King County's Office of Labor Relations, union partners, employees, and other stakeholders.
This position reports directly to Employee Services Assistant General Manager directly with a dotted line relationship to the Deputy General Manager and is a key leader in building and sustaining collaborative and effective relationships between our labor and management partners, while ensuring the correct application of our complex labor agreements.
Commitment to Equity & Social Justice
WE BELIEVE diversity encompasses the unique perspectives, knowledge, skills and abilities and the rich dimensions of identity each member of the Metro community brings to work on a daily basis. These perspectives and human dimensions are built through life experiences and membership in socially defined groups including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities and religious beliefs.
The diverse experiences and perspectives of our employees help us serve King County residents in an equitable and culturally responsive way. To learn more, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx
- Job Duties
Applying equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees.
In this role you will:- Lead the development of Metro's overall ELR strategy, including negotiating and administering employee labor contracts in partnership with King County's Office of Labor Relations.
- Apply broad and comprehensive perspectives to appropriately develop, recommend and implement labor relations policy and strategy including: Metro's overall objectives; the history of the parties to the collective bargaining relationship; the prevailing interpretations of contract language through examination of arbitration decisions and review of Metro responses to grievances; trends in public and private sector labor relations; recent decisions by neutral private and public sector Boards in interpreting labor statutes; and other persuasive authority including recent court decisions.
- Lead and support a team of ELR representatives to oversee administration of labor contracts and provide consistent, well-coordinated labor and employee relations support to the agency that is equitable, legally defensible, and well aligned with Metro's long-term Employee and Labor Relations strategy.
- Foster communication and resolution of concerns and issues using traditional and non-traditional collaborative approaches with labor organizations, senior level management, employees and other organizations or individuals as appropriate.
- Develop legal strategy/positions and provide expert consultation and advice recommending the appropriate stance to advocate in interest arbitration and grievance arbitration.
- Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner for the General Manager, Division Directors and King County leadership regarding labor relations issues that affect Metro Transit and King County.
- Establish and monitor programs and practices to identify long term trends, find connections and correlations in the way our systems function, and suggest new approaches in partnership with other functional areas of Employee Services.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
We are looking for candidates who meet the following minimum qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations, Law or related field and progressively responsible labor relations work experience OR any equivalent combination to successfully demonstrate:- Experience managing a labor relations staff or organization and demonstrated supervisory competencies including performance management, providing technical advice, coaching and guiding others
- Experience with interpretation and application of legal and contractual language; union negotiations and bargaining contracts
- Experience in developing labor relations policy and strategy
Other required qualifications include:- Demonstrate ability to establish/maintain effective working relationships with King County leadership, Metro leadership, staff members, and labor representatives.
- Can maintain confidentiality and effectively handle highly sensitive personal and political information with sound judgment, tact and discretion.
- Demonstrate leadership bearing, high integrity, personal resilience, commitment to public service, and ability to influence the actions of others.
- Can communicate well, treat people with dignity and respect, interpret need from and work with diverse people at all levels of the agency.
- Demonstrated experience with conflict resolution, and the ability to engage in difficult conversations, particularly related to race (and other protected classes), power, and privilege.
- Apply a systems perspective to understand the labor impacts of business decisions, exhibiting political and organizational savvy, agility and capability to move within a large government bureaucracy.
- Demonstrate ability to build trust, courageously and consistently acting upon a strong set of core values which are aligned with King County and King County Metro Transit's values.
- Have a good sense of self, knowing personal strengths, weaknesses and biases and the impacts of these on others; possessing a commitment to continuously advancing this self-awareness.
In addition, the most competitive candidates will possess the following desired qualifications:- Experience working in a King County or other government/public-sector human resources environment
- A law degree from an accredited college or university
- Working knowledge of HR Information Systems; PeopleSoft preferred.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Ready to apply?
Application Process
A King County application and letter of interest is required. Applicants should complete the online application at www.kingcounty.gov including the letter of interest as the answer to the first supplemental question. Please do not include any identifying information, such as name or work identification data.
Selection Process
Applications will be screened to determine whether candidates meet minimum qualifications, as well as for clarity, completeness and responsiveness to application instructions. The most competitive candidates presenting evidence that they meet or exceed the qualifications noted above may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Formal offers may be contingent upon successful references or a record review.
Who May Apply
This position is open to King County employees and the general public. This recruitment may also be used to create a pool for future career service and/or term-limited temporary positions which may occur within six months of this job announcement.
For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact
Deandra Stanley PHR|MBA
Talent Advisor
destanley@kingcounty.gov
Union Membership
This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.
Class Code 2322200 Labor Relations Negotiator - Senior
King County Metro Transit is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and values diverse perspectives, life experiences, and differences. King County Metro encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people of all ages, and veterans. We are committed to being equitable and fair in providing equal access to opportunities for all.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Letter of Interest. Please include a letter of interest including details on how you meet or exceed the knowledge, skills and abilities for this position and your experiences as it relates to the primary job functions and desired qualifications. You are encouraged to translate life experiences to show how they prepare you for this role.02What is your professional experience in managing labor relations?
- Small organization - 500 employees or less
- Medium organization - 501 to 2000 employees
- Large organization - more than 2000 employees
- I do not have experience in managing labor relations.
03For the above question, please indicate if your experience was gained in a public or private organization.- Public organization - government, non-profit, other
- Private - corporate, law office, other
Required Question