Russell J. McEwan combines real world business experience, legal acumen and pragmatism to effectively manage labor and employment law issues faced by clients in a wide variety of industries, including the construction, manufacturing, retail, service, and transportation industries. His practice entails representation of clients in federal and state court litigation, before labor arbitrators, at the bargaining table, and before regulatory agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U. S. Department of Labor, and numerous state departments of labor.
Russ proactively counsels employers on strategies to promote workplace harmony, strengthen the employment relationship, and minimize the risk of litigation. He assists clients in developing training tools, crafting effective employment agreements and policies, and training supervisory employees on a wide variety of workplace issues.
Russ has extensive experience helping clients during times of labor strife. He has advised clients on issues related to union organizing drives and representation petitions involving virtually all of the major U. S. labor unions. He has guided employers through:
- Reductions-in-force and shutdowns
- Large-scale business contingency planning related to threatened labor disputes
- Temporary restraining order actions related to strikes and mass picketing
During the course of his legal career, Russ has developed a depth of knowledge in representing construction industry employers in matters involving:
- Negotiation and administration of pre-hire collective bargaining agreements and project labor agreements
- Prevailing wage compliance
- Union benefit fund audits
- Arbitration and litigation
- Corporate campaign preparedness
- A multitude of issues related to government contracting
Before embarking on his legal career, Russ was a business banker for a leading New York City commercial bank and worked in the general counsel’s office of a major accounting firm.