People: Bradford L. Livingston, Partner

Bradford L. Livingston

Partner

Chicago
Direct: (312) 460-5880
Fax: (312) 460-7880
0

Mr. Livingston is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP where he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He chairs Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s national labor relations practice, reflecting over 60 seasoned labor relations attorneys across the Firm's nine domestic offices. He regularly handles both traditional union organizing and union anti-corporate campaigns, unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), labor injunction proceedings and grievance arbitrations. He has extensive experience in handling complex collective bargaining negotiations, strikes, lockouts, and other work stoppages involving virtually every major labor union. He has served as chief spokesperson for management in reaching more than 100 collective bargaining agreements, and has acted as a member of or legal advisor to management’s bargaining team on hundreds of additional occasions.

Mr. Livingston’s litigation experience includes a broad range of federal and state equal employment opportunity and wrongful termination matters at both the trial and appellate level. In responding to hundreds of administrative agency and civil lawsuit claims, he has handled issues that span the full range of employment-related claims and protected categories. He also regularly advises employers on how to avoid litigation through the development of effective labor and employment practices and employee education and training programs.

Mr. Livingston has been elected as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc. and is noted in “The Legal 500” for his work representing management in labor relations. He is a member of the International and National Labor Relations Act Subcommittees of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee. In addition to his practice, he is a trainer for Seyfarth Shaw at Work and regularly writes and lectures on a number of national and international labor and employment law topics.

Mr. Livingston is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP where he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He chairs Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s national labor relations practice, reflecting over 60 seasoned labor relations attorneys across the Firm's nine domestic offices. He regularly handles both traditional union organizing and union anti-corporate campaigns, unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), labor injunction proceedings and grievance arbitrations. He has extensive experience in handling complex collective bargaining negotiations, strikes, lockouts, and other work stoppages involving virtually every major labor union. He has served as chief spokesperson for management in reaching more than 100 collective bargaining agreements, and has acted as a member of or legal advisor to management’s bargaining team on hundreds of additional occasions.

Mr. Livingston’s litigation experience includes a broad range of federal and state equal employment opportunity and wrongful termination matters at both the trial and appellate level. In responding to hundreds of administrative agency and civil lawsuit claims, he has handled issues that span the full range of employment-related claims and protected categories. He also regularly advises employers on how to avoid litigation through the development of effective labor and employment practices and employee education and training programs.

Mr. Livingston has been elected as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc. and is noted in “The Legal 500” for his work representing management in labor relations. He is a member of the International and National Labor Relations Act Subcommittees of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee. In addition to his practice, he is a trainer for Seyfarth Shaw at Work and regularly writes and lectures on a number of national and international labor and employment law topics.

Education

  • J.D., University of Michigan Law School (1979)
    cum laude
  • B.S., University of Michigan (1976)
    with High Distinction

Admissions

  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois

Courts

  • United States Supreme Court
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Seventh Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern District (Trial Bar) and Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Affiliations

  • American Bar Association (Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections)
  • International Bar Association (Section on Business Law, Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee)
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Chicago Bar Association

Representative Engagements

  • Curry v. Aldi Inc., No. 02-0042-CV-W-2 (U.S. District Court of Missouri 2003) (successfully settled lawsuit alleging corporate pattern of age and race discrimination)
  • DiVincenzo v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., No. 97 L 03915 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty. 2000) (obtained affirmance of summary judgment in defamation action).
  • Goe v. Allen Sugar Company, Inc., No. 78066 (App. Ct. of Cuyahoga County, Ohio 2000) (obtained affirmance of summary judgment in age and disability discrimination claims)
  • Johnson v. Hondo, Inc. 125 F.3d 408 (7th Cir. 1997) (obtained affirmance of summary judgment in hostile environment same sex harassment case)
  • NLRB v. Greensburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company, 40 F.3d 669 (3d Cir. 1994) (obtained reversal of NLRB decision that found lockout of employees illegal and awarded entire bargaining unit extensive back pay)
  • A.E. Staley Mfg. Co., 33-CA-9993 et al. (N.L.R.B. 1992-1995) (successful defense of eighty-four separate unfair labor practice charges involving conduct of negotiations, implementation of new terms and conditions of employment following impasse and lockout of employees)
  • Villegas v. Princeton Farms, No. 88 C 8641 (N.D. Ill. 1989), 893 F.2d 919 (7th Cir. 1990) (successful defense of alleged termination of agricultural employee for union activity)
  • Allied Industrial Workers v. Borg-Warner Automotive, No. 86-1097 (C.D. Ill. 1987) (obtained summary judgment in NLRA Section 301 suit claiming breach of plant shutdown agreement)
  • Howard v. Valley Mould & Iron, No. 80-C-4031 (N.D. Ill. 1985) (successful judgment following trial of Title VII race discrimination and retaliation suit)

Representative Involvement in Strike Situations and Collective Bargaining

  • C&H Sugar (2006): Negotiated favorable labor agreements with both Seafarers and Longshoremen unions without a strike.
  • Illinois Food Retailers Association (2006): Negotiated favorable labor agreement for Chicago area grocers’ association with United Food and Commercial Workers without a strike.
  • American Sugar (2005): Represented Company in lengthy labor negotiations and strike with International Longshoremen’s Association to obtain significant concessionary labor agreement.
  • OSI Industries (2004): Negotiated favorable labor agreement with Teamsters without a strike.
  • Chicago Blower Corporation (2004): Represented Company in obtaining favorable labor agreement with Sheet Metal Workers following one-month strike.
  • The Electric Materials Company (2003): Negotiated extremely favorable initial collective bargaining agreement with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers without a strike after three years of highly contentious negotiations.
  • American Sugar (2003): Negotiated significant concessionary labor agreement, resolving a five-week strike with the United Food and Commercial Workers.
  • United Industries, Inc. (2002): Represented Company in obtaining favorable labor agreement with International Association of Machinists without a strike.
  • Scottsboro Aluminum (2000): Represented Company in obtaining favorable labor agreement and resolving six-month strike/lockout with United Steelworkers of America.
  • Domino Sugar (1999-2000): Negotiated significant concessionary labor agreement resulting in impasse, implementation of Company’s final offers, resolution of 16-month strike by Inter-national Longshoremen’s Association and successful defense of unfair labor practice charges.
  • A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. (1992-1995): Negotiated concessionary labor package resulting in impasse, implementation of the company’s final offer, lockout and response to the Allied Industrial Workers/United Paper Workers International Union’s corporate campaign and in-plant strategies.

Presentations

  • "Developments at the NLRB: The Impact of the Obama Board,” Association of Wholesale-Distributors at their NAW Billion Dollar Company HR Roundtable, O'Hare Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois (November 9, 2011)
  • "Alphabet Soup: The ABC's to Avoid IOUs from the EEOC, NLRB and DOL,” Illinois Food Retailers Association Annual Conference at Drury Lane Conference Center in Oak Brook, Illinois (October 5, 2011)

Publications

  • Associate Editor: Fairweather’s Practice and Procedure in Labor Arbitration (BNA, 3d Edition)
  • Chapter Co-Author: Labour and Employee Benefits (PLC, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006)
  • Chapter Co-Author: International Acquisitions Practice Manual (PLC, 2006 and 2008)
  • Chapter Co-Author: Employment and Labour Law (The European Lawyer Ltd., 2006)
  • Contributor: Doing Business (The World Bank, 2006, 2007 and 2008)