Businesses and organizations of all sizes and types call on Mark to advise them on labor and employment law issues in the workplace. These clients include large private corporations and public entities as well as nonprofit organizations. Before he became an attorney, Mark had an extensive career in management relating to food service, retail, and sales. Clients appreciate the special insight into their goals and concerns that this background gives them.
Mark’s practice involves litigation and advising for unionized and nonunionized employers. He has substantial experience working with employers on union-related, traditional labor law matters, such as union election and decertification campaigns, labor negotiations, unfair labor practices, administrative hearings, grievance arbitrations, and strike litigation. Mark represents clients in state and federal courts, and before the National Labor Relations Board, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, and many other agencies. He is a creative negotiator and has extensive experience with various methods of alternative dispute resolution like mediation and arbitration.
A significant part of Mark’s practice involves helping employers steer clear of problems by advising them proactively in prevention and compliance related to labor, employment, and immigration law issues. He represents employers in connection with the full spectrum of laws governing the workplace, including federal and state labor laws; state and federal discrimination, disability and leave laws; and wage and hour matters. Employers often seek his assistance with drafting, negotiating, and enforcing union contracts and employment-related agreements, policies, and handbooks, and with labor and employment law issues in business mergers and acquisitions.
Mark serves as labor counsel to the rapidly-growing New River Medical Center (formerly known as the Monticello-Big Lake Community Hospital District). He is a principal in Gray Plant Mooty’s Employment and Labor practice group.
Publications
- “Plan Now for Compliance,” coauthor, Business Central, January/February 2012
- “Know the NLRA: Unionized Or Not, Labor Law Applies To You,” coauthor, HR Specialist: Minnesota Employment Law, December 2010
- “Firing For Facebook Posts Can Get You In Trouble With The National Labor Relations Board,” GPM Employment Edge, November 16, 2010
- "Minnesota Voting Leave Changes for 2010," GPM Employment Edge, October 28, 2010
- "Customers' Discriminatory Requests May Run Employers Into Legal Trouble," GPM Employment Edge, October 18, 2010
- “How To Decide: Should Employers Arbitrate Workplace Disputes?” HR Specialist: Minnesota Employment Law, June 2010
- "What 14 Penn Plaza Means for Employers: Balancing Interests in a Landscape of Uncertainty," coauthor, 25 ABA J. Lab. & Emp. L. 173 (2010)
- The Developing Labor Law, contributing editor, Fifth ed. & supplement
- "Employee Free Choice Act Re-introduced in Congress," MinnesotaBusiness online "Expert's Forum," April 2009
- “Eyes Wide Open—Uncle Sam is Watching You,” coauthored with Casey Nolan, Catering Magazine, March/April 2009
- "Not a Union Employer: Proposed EFCA Could Soon Change That," HR Specialist, Minnesota Employment Law, February 2009
- "Union Organizing in a New Environment," Employment.Law360.com, January 29, 2009
- "2009 Cumulative Supplement to The Developing Labor Law," Fifth Ed., Contributing Editor
- “Toolkit Tactics: Law—Go Beyond Noncompetes to Protect Your Business,” coauthor, Upsize Minnesota, December 2008
- “Par Ridder and the Newspaper Wars: Lessons for Minnesota Businesses About Fair and Unfair Competition,” coauthor, Upsize Minnesota, February 2008
- "Who Qualifies? Defining ‘Individual with a Disability’ under the ADA," Bench & Bar of Minnesota, coauthored, October 1999
Presentations
- “Managing Critical Wage and Hour Compliance Issues in Residential Workplace,” copresenter, 2011 ARRM Conference, May 18, 2011
- "Recent Employment and Labor Law Developments," presenter, College and University Professional Association—Minnesota Chapter for Human Resources, November 18, 2010
- “Recent Employment and Labor Law Developments,” copresenter, Society for Human Resource Management—Central Minnesota, October 21, 2010
- “State of the Unions and Other Recent Developments in Labor and Employment Law,” copresenter, Gray Plant Mooty 14th Annual Health Law Conference, July 15, 2010
- “Labor Law Update,” GPM 2010 Employment Law Seminar, April 21, 2010
- “Employer Choices and the Employee Free Choice Act: Should You Act Now to Preserve a Union-Free Future?,” 2009 Business Law Institute
- “Employee Free Choice Act and Employer Choices: Labor Relations in 2009 and Beyond,” Franchise Business Network International Franchise Association, April 2009
- "Employer Choices and the EFCA: What You Can Do Now to Promote a Better Working Relationship with Your Employees," Aging Services of Minnesota (Labor Law School), 2009
- "Recent Developments in Labor Law," The Hennepin County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section, 2008
- "Getting Along with Norma Rae: Labor Law Issues for Non-Unionized Employers," Care Providers of Minnesota Convention, 2004
- "In English with Subtitles: Speak English Only and Language Proficiency Rules in Employment," Care Providers of Minnesota Convention, 2004
- "Understanding the New FLSA Regulations: Who Gets Overtime Now?," Minnesota Hospital Association, September 2004; Minnesota Home Care Association, 2004
Education
- Hamline University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1998
- University of Minnesota, B.A., summa cum laude, 1995
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota Management Attorneys Association
Honors and Distinctions
- Labor and Employment Law Specialist, certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association
- Excellence in Labor Law citation, Minnesota State Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law section