Suellen Oswald

Suellen Oswald is a Principal in the Cleveland, Ohio office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

With more than 25 years of experience in labor and employment law and a nationwide practice, Ms. Oswald is an experienced, trusted labor negotiator who has worked with international conglomerates, as well as Fortune 100 companies and medium and small businesses. She has successfully led hundreds of labor negotiations, union organizing campaigns and litigated unfair labor practice charges, labor arbitrations and dozens of cases through dismissal, trial and appeal.

Ms. Oswald has deep expertise representing unionized clients in a broad range of industries, including the manufacture and distribution of food, beverage and specialty chemicals; coating and ink production; automotive production and sales; power generation; steel and aluminum production; drilling systems manufacturing; petroleum refining; retail; hospitality and gaming; acute healthcare; business-to-business; contingent staffing; software development; broadcast media and technology solutions.

Ms. Oswald has extensive experience representing employers before the National Labor Relations Board, Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, State Employment Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Ohio Civil Rights Commission and numerous other state agencies across the country.

Ms. Oswald has successfully defended scores of companies in a wide range of employment matters including high profile civil rights issues, non-compete and trade secrets, use of background checks and Fair Credit Reporting Act claims, scientific misconduct, wrongful discharge, harassment, discrimination and retaliation and wage and hour claims in class and collective actions and single and multi-plaintiff litigation. She frequently counsels large and mid-size companies on risk management and labor compliance topics.

She achieved elite recognition as a Certified Specialist in Labor and Employment Law in Ohio and is regularly voted by her peers as one of Ohio’s top labor and employment attorneys. She has been an invited speaker by business and legal groups throughout the United States and Europe on various labor law matters. Ms. Oswald is an editor for the BNA treatise The Family and Medical Leave Act and was a contributing author for The Developing Labor Law, a founding member of the Ohio Management Lawyers Association and served on its Steering Committee.

Honors and Recognitions

•Leadership Medina County, Graduate
•Ohio State Bar Association, Certified Specialist Labor and Employment Law
•YWCA, Woman of Professional Excellence

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

•First Baptist Church (Medina, OH), Member and Volunteer
•ideastream, Community Advisory Board Member
•Medina Christian Academy, Member, School Board

Published Works

• NJ Benefits Bill May Deter Business With Contractors, Law360 (December 2019) [Co-Author]
•“Myths Abound About Right-to-Work States,” Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (August 2014) [Author]
•FMLA, 2014 Cumulative Supplement (Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. 2014) (contributing editor)
•The Developing Labor Law (Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.) (contributing author)

Speeches

•Managing Contingent Workers, ACCA (Cleveland, OH, October 2014)

Suellen Oswald In the News

James McDonnell, Suzanne Odom and Suellen Oswald Author NJ Benefits Bill May Deter Business With Contractors

December 13, 2019 • Law360

Suellen Oswald and Adam Lounsbury Author Tennessee Adopts 20-Factor Test for Independent-Contractor Analysis

October 23, 2019 • SHRM

The Best Lawyers in America 2020 Honors Jackson Lewis Attorneys

August 15, 2019 • Jackson Lewis

Suellen Oswald Publications

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CARES Act Leaves Out Bailout of Private Union, Multiemployer Pension Plans

April 2, 2020

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Strings Attached: Accepting COVID-19 Financial Relief Could Limit Ability to Oppose Union Organizing

March 26, 2020

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California Worker Misclassification Bill Closer to Enactment

September 13, 2019

Suellen Oswald Blog Posts

California Workplace Law

California Worker Misclassification Bill Closer to Enactment

September 13, 2019
Data Intelligence Reporter

Talent Software - Perfect Solution or Perfect Storm?

November 14, 2017
Labor & Collective Bargaining

Court Repudiates NLRB’s Award of Attorney’s Fees and Expenses for Their ‘Deterrent Effect’

July 8, 2016