Biography
Matthew Roberts is a labor and employment litigator who provides practical, strategic advice in all phases of labor relations, including arbitration, work stoppages, collective bargaining, union litigation and unfair labor practices. He puts the needs of the business first and tailors litigation strategy to each client and each dispute. He has successfully litigated dozens of high-stakes whistleblower claims, trade secrets and noncompetition cases, labor disputes, and administrative actions.
Matthew has prevailed for clients in complex jury trials and bench trials following many years of litigation in federal and state court. He has represented companies and public agencies in complex arbitrations, class actions, collective actions, and hearings involving thousands of employees and tens of millions in alleged damages and costs. He has coordinated strategic responses to major work stoppages both locally and nationwide and has prosecuted and defended claims before the state labor board, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and other administrative agencies.
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
Representative Experience
- Negotiated collective bargaining agreements with local unions representing several hundred employees or more; for example, negotiated collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) simultaneously with three different American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) locals in complex and lengthy negotiations involving more than 20 bargaining sessions, more than ten tentative agreements on individual aspects and provisions of the deal and novel legislation impacting which provisions of the former CBA remained mandatory subjects of bargaining
- Defended dozens of unfair labor practice charges involving issues such as alleged unilateral changes in terms and conditions of employment, public bargaining, domination, secondary activity, etc.
- Prepared and implemented comprehensive strike plans across multiple industries; for example, in addition to the numerous labor disputes on which we’ve assisted major railroads, defended a large public university in one of the lengthiest ever for a public entity in Ohio
- Opposed union campaigns and elections by identifying and gathering evidence of unlawful conduct by organizers during the campaign, filing objections, and then successfully litigating the issue through the courts
- Helped conduct one of the largest successful fact-finding hearings in Ohio involving a local union with more than 30,000 members. Developed and presented expert testimony on healthcare plans, ultimately saving Ohio hundreds of millions of dollars in the administration of its healthcare plans, among many other important changes sought by management across numerous agencies throughout the state
- Helped conduct and defend what the arbitrator called one of the lengthiest labor arbitrations ever, with more than 30 days of hearing in addition to numerous depositions admitted into the formal record, concerning the privatization of service impacting hundreds of employees
- Successfully defended multiple lawsuits filed by unions seeking injunctions on pending labor issues; for example, successfully established a novel doctrine holding that the Ohio courts lack subject matter jurisdiction over claims by unions seeking Boys Market injunctions against public employers concerning pending arbitrations
Education
- J.D. Washington and Lee University School of Law
Memberships
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Columbus Bar Association
Achievements
- Ohio Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2012 – 2020)
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