Craig M. Brown is a labor and employment attorney exclusively representing employers in all matters affecting the employer-employee relationship. His practice regularly includes providing advice and counsel on the application of increasingly complex labor and employment laws in both the private and public sector, guidance in resolving problems arising under collective bargaining agreements, and the development and application of effective workplace rules and regulations to enhance efficiency and productivity.

A primary focus of Craig’s practice is collective bargaining. He frequently serves as the chief spokesperson for employers in their negotiations with unions. He has negotiated hundreds of collective bargaining agreements for a variety of clients across numerous industries and employer groups. Craig has successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements on behalf of large urban school districts and higher education systems, hospitals and healthcare providers, numerous public employers, including municipalities and regional governments, and a variety of manufacturing and wholesale/distribution companies with a special concentration in beer and wine distribution. Craig also has advised clients in developing strategic plans to implement major business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, relocations and closures, negotiating many agreements with unions covering both the decisions and the effects associated with those transactions.

Craig also represents clients in contract administration, arbitration and general employment matters. He regularly advises clients regarding issues arising under the National Labor Relations Act and Ohio Collective Bargaining Law, frequently appearing before the National Labor Relations Board and the Ohio State Employment Relations Board. He also advises employers seeking to maintain union-free workplaces and provides counsel during union organizing initiatives.

Craig represents a wide range of employers in the public and private sector, large and small, publicly-traded and privately-held. Craig’s experience has provided him with considerable knowledge of the following industries:

• Manufacturing
• Warehouse and distributing
• Service
• Retail
• Beverage wholesale
• Healthcare and hospitals
• Hospitality
• Education
• Regional and municipal government

Additionally, Craig frequently addresses groups on issues of:

• Collective bargaining
• Union avoidance
• Employment discrimination
• Violence in the workplace

Prior to joining Littler Mendelson in 2007, Craig was a partner at Duvin, Cahn & Hutton in Cleveland, Ohio. In law school, he was administrative editor of Law and Policy in International Business.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Member,  Labor and Employment Section - Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
• Member, Labor and Employment Section - Ohio State Bar Association
• Member, Labor and Employment Section - Federal Bar Association
• Member, Labor and Employment Section - American Bar Association
• Member, Labor and Employment Relations Association 
• Vice-president, Board of Trustees, Cleveland Area Chapter - Alzheimer's Association
• President, Board of Trustees - Cleveland Boy Choir
   

RECOGNITION

• Named, Super Lawyers - Ohio, 2006 and 2007
• Awarded, Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rating