On Sept. 9, 2021, the California Court of Appeal in Wesson v. Staples The Office Superstore, LLC, supported what employers have been arguing since Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA)
Continue Reading Strike That! PAGA Claims Must be Manageable

Global Developments In Labor & Employment Law
Charles S. Birenbaum serves as the firm’s Chair of Northern California and Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice’s Labor-Management Relations group. Chuck is an experienced labor and employment attorney who focuses his practice on traditional labor and employment law matters, and has wide-ranging experience litigating in state and federal courts as well as various administrative agencies. He has testified on proposed legislation impacting entire industries before state legislative committees, and has interfaced and negotiated with labor organizations, politicians, regulators, and industry leaders to resolve complex issues for his clients in the health care, energy, construction and other industries.
Chuck is an experienced trial lawyer, having tried race harassment class actions, noncompetition trials, unfair labor practice hearings before the National Labor Relations Board, and multiple arbitrations. His appellate work includes decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit under the National Labor Relations Act, Labor Management Relations Act, and the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act.
In the area of traditional labor law, Chuck has a broad array of experience in collective bargaining, union organizing and trust fund litigation for employers in the construction, energy, health care, manufacturing, and service industries. He has first chaired collective bargaining for all bargaining units at a health care system; first chaired collective bargaining over a bargaining unit of registered nurses at a dialysis provider; first chaired collective bargaining for construction agreements covering billions of dollars of heavy infrastructure development; and first chaired collective bargaining for a steel manufacturer and fabricator.
Chuck has been honored by numerous organizations for his labor and employment practice. In 2013 alone, Chambers USA Guide listed him for his work in labor and employment law, Human Resources Executive® magazine named him one of the nation’s top 100 most powerful labor attorneys, and The Daily Journal singled him out as one of California’s top 75 labor attorneys.
On Sept. 9, 2021, the California Court of Appeal in Wesson v. Staples The Office Superstore, LLC, supported what employers have been arguing since Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA)…
Continue Reading Strike That! PAGA Claims Must be Manageable
Unions are back in the news. On March 9, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives successfully passed the Protect the Right to Organize Act (the PRO Act), legislation designed to…
Continue Reading The New New Deal? U.S. House Of Representatives Passes Sweeping Labor Reform With Significant but Uncertain Future
Work stoppages and disruption of operations are consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This GT Alert provides an overview of federal law regarding employee protections associated with work…
Continue Reading Handling Employee Concerns and Protests During the Pandemic: Federal Law on Interference with Operations
In connection with “National Day without Immigrants” held on Thursday, Feb. 16 and Friday, Feb. 17, immigrant employees as well as supporters and sympathizers may have requested time off or,…
Continue Reading Employer Guidance – National Immigrant Protests
Recently, the National Labor Relations Board made sweeping changes to its “joint employer” standard, announcing a new test that will surely lead to more findings of joint employment relationships under…
Continue Reading NLRB Expands Joint Employer Standard in Browning-Ferris Decision
The GT Alert — Recent NLRB Decision Limits Employer’s Ability to Restrict Off-Duty Employee Access to its Property was prepared by Charles S. Birenbaum and April L. Weaver.