As a management labor and employment attorney with over 30 years of experience, Steve serves as respected outside counsel to company executives and human resources leaders of both public and privately held companies in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, transportation and logistics, health care, newspapers and media, chemical, service, communications and technology.
Steve has extensive experience in all aspects of traditional labor relations and employment law, including negotiating collective bargaining agreements, union organizing and representation election campaigns, decertification proceedings, arbitration and litigation before the NLRB. He regularly defends employers in cases before the EEOC and state civil rights agencies all over the country.
Steve has litigated single plaintiff and class action employment cases in federal and state courts, including cases involving breaches of contract and covenants of non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality, independent contractor/employee misclassification, discrimination and retaliation based on age, disability, race, gender, pregnancy, religion and national origin, whistleblower retaliation, sexual harassment, equal pay, minimum wage and unpaid overtime under the FLSA, WARN Act, FMLA, wrongful discharge, constructive discharge, fraud, and defamation.
Representative Experience
- Represented the Austin American-Statesman as lead negotiator in bargaining with the Austin NewsGuild to reach agreement on a first labor contract between the Statesman and its front-line journalists. Statesman journalists unanimously ratified the contract November 21, 2024 after 3.5 years of negotiations.
- Represented Plaintiff, a professional dental group, who alleged that Defendant, a dentist, violated her non-competition and non-solicitation agreement and misappropriated Plaintiff’s trade secrets when she went to work for a competitor. Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant interfered with Plaintiff’s contractual rights and business relationships. The Court denied the parties cross summary judgment motion, finding a question of fact existed as to which party was the first to breach the contract. The parties ultimately settled on the eve of trial for an undisclosed monetary figure and various other protections for the Plaintiff.
- Secured the dismissal of an unfair labor practice charge, in matters including a charge and challenge to decertification petition to enable decertification election to proceed in timely manner. After the filing of a decertification petition, we defended against and prevailed in securing the dismissal of an unfair labor practice blocking charge. Once dismissed, the petition proceeded to a hearing after which we prevailed in rejecting the union’s arguments that the petition was moot because the collective bargaining agreement at issue allegedly automatically extended, which would have barred the petition. Our success at both stages allowed the decertification election to continue and gave employees the right to vote regarding union representation.
- Represented the CEO and COO of an automotive products manufacturer during its acquisition by a private equity firm in connection with their employment agreements as well as their investments in the company.
- Represented logistics service provider in employee non-compete dispute.
- Represented the buyer in its acquisition of a manufacturer and distributor of piston sealing, retaining and snap rings.
- Represented Watkins Associated Industries, Inc. in its acquisition of Nova Engineering and Environmental, LLC, a provider of environmental consulting and engineering and construction testing and inspections services.
- Represented Gridiron Capital Partners in its initial platform acquisition of Jacent Strategic Merchandising, a provider of strategic impulse, in-line and check stand, merchandising products and solutions to retailers.
- Representing HighTower Holding in its acquisition of Wealth Trust, a Houston-based RIA aggregator, with over $6 billion in client assets.
- Represented Vantiv, a leading provider of payment processing services and related technology solutions, in its acquisition of Moneris Solutions USA.
