Karl A. Fritton has over 35 years of experience representing a variety of national employers in collective bargaining, labor arbitration and labor-related litigation before the National Labor Relations Board and the State and Federal Courts. His clients are in the energy, food distribution, waste management, steel, construction, automotive, insurance, financial services, health care and media industries.
Karl has acted as chief negotiator in over 300 labor negotiations, including over 50 first contracts. He has extensive experience negotiating with virtually every major union in the United States, including:
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Service Employees International Union
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
- International Union of Operating Engineers
- United Food and Commercial Workers
- United Steelworkers Union
- Laborers International Union
- National Union of Healthcare and Hospital Employees
- Communication Workers of America.
- Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists
- Writers Guild of America
Results achieved on behalf of clients include:
- Elimination of union sponsored health and welfare plans and substitution of employer plans
- Elimination of multiemployer defined benefit pension plan
- Substitution of company-sponsored 401(k) plans
- Unlimited right to subcontract, transfer or relocate work
- Institution of employee contributions to medical insurance plans
- Establishment of incentive pay plans
- Promotion, job selection and layoff based on merit
- Broad no strike and picketing clauses
Additionally, Karl has handled more than 300 labor arbitrations throughout the United States, obtaining favorable results for clients on a variety of issues, including:
- Closure of a unionized facility and transfer of work to a nonunion plant
- Elimination of various lines of business and subcontracting the work to a third-party
- Employer's right to unilaterally change benefit plans
- Consolidation of bargaining units and retention of more favorable rates of pay
- Implementation of new technology
- Assignment of work between union and nonunion employees at the same facility
Karl has also handled over 75 union representation petitions, including one of the largest elections held at the NLRB and has handled several union decertifications and deauthorizations following unsuccessful strikes.
Finally, Karl advises clients on the purchase and sale of union and nonunion facilities, consolidation of union and non-union operations, establishment of nonunion facilities and new markets by unionized employers and maintenance of constructive labor relations by national employees with both union and nonunion workforces.
