About the company

Albertsons Companies is at the forefront of the revolution in retail. With a fixation on innovation and building culture, our team is rallying our company around a unique vision: forging a retail winner that is admired for national strength, deep roots in the communities we serve, and a team that has passion for food and delivering great service.

Albertsons is one of the largest retail employers, providing approximately 300,000 jobs across 2,200 stores, 22 distribution centers, 20 food and beverage plants and various support offices. We operate in 34 states and the District of Columbia under the Albertsons banner, as well as Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Jewel Osco, Shaw’s and many more recognizable names.

What you will be doing:

The Director of Labor Relations is responsible for managing, negotiating, administering, and implementing contracts and collective bargaining agreements for manufacturing plants and distribution centers throughout the western United States. This role also handles traditional labor questions/issues, union organizing, interpretation of complex terms, policies or rules if escalated as well as serving as a trustee on Taft-Hartley pension and healthcare trust funds.

Responsibilities:

• Work with union representatives to ensure proper administration of contracts.
• Work with management to determine the needs of the business (quality, safety, performance, etc.) and work with union representatives to work towards an agreement. This includes drafting initial proposals and reviewing union requests and feedback. Must negotiate terms that best satisfy the needs of our employees and overall business. Once terms have been agreed upon work on putting together the final contract and communicating the terms to all management and employees as applicable.
• Act as the subject matter expert on contracts and manage and handle all escalated employee issues or problems related to the interpretation of the contracts. Negotiate and resolve difficult problems including discharge and termination of employees. Partner closely with Human Resources Directors for divisions as needed to manage and administer any resolutions. Provide strategic direction and manage precedent setting issues or cases that come up that could have a significant impact to the business and operations.
• Jointly manage trusts between labor, management, and third-party service providers. Work with actuaries to determine projected costs and associated expenses to administer and fund different health and disability plan options. Identify and select a contract with third party negotiators (benefit providers, clinics) that will handle the payment and administration of the benefits. Review the benefit financial statements on a quarterly basis and audit/ monitor these accounts to ensure expenses are in line with expectations and that the trusts are properly funded.
• Collaborate closely with management and ensure that contract terms and rules are properly adhered to.
• Partner with unions daily to manage day-to-day issues and ongoing contract negotiations. Work with federal and state regulators on compliance and employer requirement standards and laws. Federal and local agencies include DOL, FLSA, ERISA, ADA HIPAA and the EEOC, etc.
• Works closely with payroll and other administrative departments to ensure proper interpretation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements.
• Travel – 40-50%

** The salary range is $118,100 to $165,380 annually. Starting salary will vary based on criteria such as location, experience, and qualifications. There may be flexibility for exceptional candidates. Benefits may include medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, sick pay (accrued based on hours worked), PTO/Vacation Pay (accrued based on hours worked) or Flexible Time Off, paid holidays (8-9 days annually), bereavement pay, and retirement benefits (such as 401(k) eligibility). [If applicable:] Associates in this position are also eligible for a quarterly bonus. **

Relevant Experience and Education

• Juris Doctorate (JD) and member of bar
• Five years plus years of experience at a Labor & Employment law firm and/or equivalent experience leading Union negotiations.
• Excellent writing and negotiation skills
• Ability to work in cross functional teams and to work towards a consensus
• Knowledge of business operations with the ability to see the long-term objectives and goals Superior writing and contract development skills required
• Legal knowledge as it relates to writing and interpreting contracts
• Ability to diplomatically deal with difficult external groups and unions that have completely different objectives Ability to partner with management to determine the business needs and ensure that these areas are captured in the contracts
• Knowledge of pension and benefit programs and how they are administered and what they typically cost
• Knowledge of jointly managed trusts and how to set them up, administer them and ensure they are performing according to the terms of the agreement
• Knowledge of federal and state requirements and agencies including DOL, EEOC, HIPAA, ADA, etc.

What is it like at Albertsons?

Albertsons Culture Principles

Compassion : We always treat each other with kindness and respect

Team : We always support and recognize each other

Inclusive : We always value everyone’s perspective

Learning : We always strive to grow and develop ourselves and others

Competitive : We always act with integrity to win over the customer

Ownership : We always take actions to drive our success