Overview

John M. Cerilli represents employers with respect to all aspects of labor and employment law. His traditional labor law practice focuses on:

  • NLRA/NLRB
  • Labor arbitration
  • Collective bargaining
  • Labor contract administration
  • Strikes and picketing
  • Plant closings and mass layoffs
  • Corporate transactions

In his employment practice, John provides counseling and training on a wide range of employment matters, such as:

  • Hiring and firing
  • Personnel policies
  • Reductions-in-force
  • Discrimination
  • Workers' compensation

John regularly appears before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission and other governmental agencies. His clients include the following industries:

  • Energy
  • Oil, gas, and coal
  • Manufacturing
  • Steel
  • Chemical
  • Airline
  • Healthcare
  • Cultural and entertainment
  • Armored car
  • Technology
  • Transportation
  • Commercial real estate

John is a founding member of the firm's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, office and served as office managing shareholder of both the Pittsburgh and West Virginia offices for the period of 2006-2016. He is co-chair of Littler’s Energy Practice Group, a core member of the firm's Traditional Labor Practice Group, a member of the firm’s Corporate Transactions Practice Group.

John regularly provides presentations for clients and local organizations on topics such as:

  • Labor law overview and training for human resource managers
  • Conducting effective investigations that will hold up at arbitration 
  • Best practices for effective management of the grievance-arbitration procedure
  • Managing strikes and lockouts - contingency planning and what you need to know to comply with the law
  • Best practices for litigating labor arbitrations
  • The art of labor negotiations
  • Understanding why you lose labor arbitrations so you can start winning
  • Making discipline stick: meeting the just cause requirements
  • Strike training for supervisors
  • NLRB update

Prior to joining Littler, John was a field examiner with the NLRB's Region Six office in Pittsburgh.

*Not licensed to practice law in West Virginia

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Pennsylvania Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment and Workers' Compensation sections

Pennsylvania Bar Association

Member

Allegheny County Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment and Workers' Compensation sections

Allegheny County Bar Association

Member, Board of Directors

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

1988-2001

Former President, Board of Directors

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

1999-2001

Recognition

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2009-2024

Named, Lawyer of the Year

Employment Law - Management, Pittsburgh

The Best Lawyers in America©

2015

Fellow, American Bar Foundation

2009

Fellow

American Bar Association

2009

Recipient, Jefferson Award for Community Service

2001

Awarded, AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Martindale-Hubbell

News, Analysis & Press

Under Trump, Uncertainty Ahead for Labor Issues

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

December 5, 2016

Speaking Engagements

Labor Law Update: The Trump Board Impact of the Changing of the Guard at the NLRB and What it Means for Nonunion and Union Employers

Pittsburgh, PA

January 24, 2019

The Hottest Labor and Employment Developments of 2015

Pittsburgh, PA

November 4, 2015

The NLRB’s New Quickie Election Rules

ACC, Western Pennsylvania Chapter, Pittsburgh, PA

May 20, 2014

Emerging Labor Crisis: What You Need to Know About the NLRB's Ramped-Up Attacks on All Employers (Union and Non-Union Alike)

Pittsburgh, PA

December 4, 2013

Managing and Winning Labor Arbitrations

The 2012 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 10, 2012

H1N1 Flu: Preparing the Workplace for a Pandemic

Pittsburgh, PA

October 14, 2009

A Brand New (Work) Day?

January 9, 2009

Education

  • J.D., Duquesne University, 1987
  • B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 1982Highest Distinction

Bar Admission

Pennsylvania

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania