Assistant Director - Labor Relations

Job Description

Job Title

Position Title:  Assistant Director – Labor Relations 

Location: Office of Labor Relations - 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202   

Salary Details: $76,484 - $103,799 

Reports to: Executive Director 

Bargaining Unit: N/A  

Benefits Eligible: Yes 

Telecommuting Eligibility: Hybrid. Eligible for telecommuting up to 40% (2 days per week) in accordance with District guidelines and upon successful completion of onboarding and probationary/trial period.  

Position Summary 
The Assistant Director of Labor Relations supports the  collaborative work between the District and employee union leaders to support employees, problem solve challenges, and to negotiate agreements as needed. The Assistant Director ensures that inquiries, grievances and negotiations are received and managed in an orderly and timely fashion, in accordance with each collective bargaining agreement and Michigan employment law. The Assistant Director ensures that bargaining proposals are vetted with the relevant internal subject matter experts and financial liaisons, where appropriate and that all bargaining materials are maintained in an orderly fashion, have been thoroughly reviewed for clarity and accuracy, and are formatted properly. The Assistant Director provides guidance and support to District leaders related to the implementation of collective bargaining agreements and other associated letters of agreement (LOAs).  

Minimum Qualifications 

Education: 

• Candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree (Master’s or Juris Doctor) in a field related to Labor Relations preferred 

Experience: 

• Minimum of five (5) years progressive experience in labor relations and/or the practice of labor law with demonstrated experience in analyzing, drafting, implementing and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.  

• Demonstrated experience with collective bargaining and labor law in a K-12 setting strongly preferred 

• Demonstrated experience cultivating and managing productive relationships between labor and management representatives 

• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong attention to detail 

• Demonstrated experience maintaining clear systems and procedures to manage complex workloads  

• Demonstrated proficiency with Office365 applications including Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint 

Essential Functions  

Collaboration and Communication

• Form collaborative, productive relationships with labor leaders 
• Establish a cadence of regular communication with labor leaders to proactively address challenges and problem solve solutions 
• Act as a representative of the Labor Relations team by receiving and responding to questions, concerns, grievances.  
• Collaborate regularly with internal District departments, especially key leaders in Human Resources and Finance. 

Knowledge Management:  

• Maintain both an internal and external-facing library with copies of up-to-date collective bargaining agreements, letters of agreement, and memoranda. 
• Share updates, answer questions and provide training on changes/updates to collective bargaining agreements. 
• Collaborate with District departments to collect, prepare and present data and information necessary to respond to requests from employee unions. 
• Oversee the preparation of reports and questionnaires when specific information has been requested by outside agencies. 
• Maintain a current understanding of Board policies, collective bargaining agreements, LOAs, and changes to Michigan employment law. 
• Prepare and provide training to District staff relative to the interpretation and implementation of Agreements along with past practice and arbitration rulings. 

Managing Grievances and Disputes: 

• Establish systems and procedures to track the intake and resolution of grievances and disputes. 
• Support the District’s attorney with the collection of relevant materials related to grievances, wage and hour claims, and Michigan Employment Relations Commision filings. 
• Support with and conduct grievance hearings. 
• Identify and prepare witnesses for grievance hearings. 
• Prepare documents related to grievance hearings 
• Respond to grievances filed by the various collective bargaining units. 
• Monitor the facilitation and the implementation of decisions arising out of grievances, arbitration decisions or court determinations. 
• When necessary, issue memos to District departments outlining the resolution of disputes and requesting specific department action (e.g. payroll or Human Resources). 

Negotiation Support: 

• Collaborate with the Executive Director of Labor Relations and the District’s attorney(s) to draft and revise bargaining proposals 
• Review proposals to identify alignment with existing agreements and/or practice 
• Develop and implement systems to track the status of proposals, counter-proposals, questions, and outstanding issues. 
• Ensure District proposals are prepared, vetted and ready to be shared with employee unions. 
• When necessary, engage in direct negotiation with Labor leaders on specific issues.  

General: 

• Attend department meetings, as well as Board meetings and Board committee meetings, as needed 
• Craft written summaries and prepare PowerPoint presentations highlighting key information. 
• Fulfill other duties and responsibilities as assigned  

Security Clearance:

Internal Applicants

If you are a current Detroit Public Schools Community District employee, you do not have to submit to a new security clearance, unless your new role requires a different type of criminal background check.

External Applicants

In alignment with Michigan law, if you are hired to fill a position, you will be required to submit to a Detroit Public Schools Community District criminal background check. Information regarding required background checks will be shared at point of hire.

Method of Application:

Applicants must apply through the online application system. Only applications submitted through the online application system will be considered for any posted position and all applications require a resume to be considered.

All DPSCD employees are required to disclose their vaccine status, however COVID-19 vaccines are strongly encouraged but not required.

Successful candidates are required to submit official transcript(s) at point of offer to hire. Teaching service outside of the Detroit Public Schools Community District must be verified by the applicant's prior employer(s) prior to hire. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide all documentation (including copies) as requested.

Applicants requesting assistance during the application process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email at [email protected] or phone at (313) 873-6897.

DPSCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, religion, height, weight, citizenship, marital or family status, military status, ancestry, genetic information, or any other legally protected category, in its educational programs and activities, including employment and admissions opportunities. Contact the Civil Rights Coordinator for more information at (313) 240-4377 or detroitk12.org/compliance.