We are a labor law firm proud to support organized labor and workers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond

Noah joined the firm in 2019. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, but knew he wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest from the time he first set foot here. It just took a little longer to get to Portland than first planned. Over the years Noah has practiced labor law in Oregon, South Florida, and Illinois, representing public and private sector unions, including affiliates of the IAFF, Teamsters, AFSCME, and IBEW.

 

Noah has represented unions and their members in hundreds of arbitrations, representation cases, and unfair labor practice hearings. He has argued cases before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 7th and 11th Circuits as well as appellate courts in Florida. He has also represented unions and workers in federal and state trial courts. He has represented Unions in matters before the National Labor Relations Board, the Oregon Employment Relations Board, the Illinois Labor Relations Board, and the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission. Throughout his career, Noah has presented trainings and seminars and provided advice to Unions and their members. He has also represented individual union members in licensing and certification cases before the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (Oregon) and the Oregon Nursing Board.

 

Representative Cases

 

IAFF Local 149 and City of Boise (Arbitration 2022). Won reinstatement for firefighter terminated for alleged violation of City drug-free workplace policy where the employee’s use of marijuana was legal when and where it occurred and the employee did not report to duty under its influence.

 

AFSCME and Oregon Construction Contractors Board (Arbitration 2021). Challenged wrongful discharge of worker who allegedly misrepresented self as an employee of another agency, winning reinstatement, backpay, and interest.

 

IAFF Local 1660 and Tualatin Valley Fire Rescue (Arbitration 2020). Arbitrated dispute over unilateral change to firefighters’ schedules, resulting in award in favor of Union directing employer to comply with parties’ letter of understanding on scheduling issues.

 

AFSCME and Oregon Department of Corrections (Arbitration 2020). Arbitrated dispute concerning whether employees could request and receive compensatory time in lieu of overtime and won; arbitrator agreed that the contract precluded the employer from denying all compensatory time requests as a matter of policy.

 

Ruiz v. Forest Grove School District (Oregon Fair Dismissal Appeal Board 2018). Prevailed in appeal from wrongful termination of teacher for allegedly neglecting his duty to maintain a safe classroom, winning reinstatement and full backpay.

 

IBEW System Council U-4 v. Florida Power & Light Co., 627 Fed. Appx. 898, 2015 LRRM 193595 (11th Cir. 2015). Prevailed in effort to compel employer to arbitrate grievance over its denial of access rights to the member’s work site as a form of discipline (and won at arbitration thereafter).

 

International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Amerijet International, Inc., 604 Fed. Appx. 841, 202 LRRM 3545 (11th Cir. 2015). Successfully challenged employer’s refusal to arbitrate multiple grievances based on its claims that the underlying dispute occurred outside of the United States and therefore outside of the Railway Labor Act. 

 

Hollywood Fire Fighters Local 1375 v. City of Hollywood, 133 So. 3d 1042, 198 LRRM 2174 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014). Prevailed in challenging the constitutionality of the state’s “financial urgency” statute that allowed public employers to unilaterally change wages and working conditions during the term of a collective bargaining agreement.

 

Organizations and Activities:

Member, Union Lawyers Alliance (ULA)

Committee Chair, Scouting BSA Troop 150, Portland, Oregon

 

Education

University of Virginia School of Law, JD, 1994

University of Chicago, AB, History, 1991

 

Admissions

Oregon 2017

Washington 2019

US District Court for Oregon 2017

US District Court for Washington 2019