WHAT DOES A LABOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST DO?

Published: Jan 06, 2026 - The Labor Relations Specialist resolves workplace incidents and supports factory operations in labor relations and personnel administration, including payroll coordination, dismissal processing, attendance control, and absenteeism tracking. This role contributes to HR projects by supporting the implementation of new personnel policies and providing end-to-end recruitment support through sourcing, screening, and interviewing candidates. The specialist also leads onboarding for new hires, coordinates with managers and cross-functional teams, and manages training programs by organizing logistics, tracking attendance, and maintaining required documentation.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Labor Relations Specialist

1. Labor Relations Specialist Duties

  • Risk Investigation: Investigate employee concerns for potential risk and disciplinary matters
  • Investigation Reporting: Write reports regarding the investigations and make discipline recommendations in consultation with the Director of Human Resources
  • Executive Communication: Keep the Director of Human Resources apprised of any potential employee issues or concerns
  • ER Facilitation: Facilitate or coordinate discussions on employee relations issues
  • Case Documentation: Maintain up-to-date investigations and employee discipline documents in the human resources employee relations software program
  • Trend Analysis: Analyze data and provide trend reporting to the Director of Human Resources
  • Policy Interpretation: Review and interpret employer policies and other documents for managers and employees
  • Policy Development: Assist in the development of new policies, procedures, or guidelines related to human resources
  • Leave Coordination: Partner with outside vendor on all leave requests or inquiries

2. Labor Relations Specialist Details

  • Unemployment Claims: Partner with outside vendor on all Unemployment Claim requests or inquiries
  • Manager Coaching: Provide feedback and coaching to managers and make recommendations necessary to resolve and prevent employee issues
  • Workers' Compensation: Partner with a third-party vendor on Workers' Compensation claim processing
  • Accommodation Coordination: Coordinate the employee accommodation process with staff and Managers
  • Grievance Tracking: Track and respond to written and verbal grievances and requests
  • Union Liaison: Serve as direct contact for the labor union
  • NLRB Training: Educate and train employees and managers on rights and responsibilities in accordance with the NLRB
  • Union Negotiations: Participate in union negotiations
  • Culture Collaboration: Collaborate with people and culture leaders and team members to address issues

3. Labor Relations Specialist Responsibilities

  • Employee Support: Address all employee matters with a sense of urgency in accordance with site, company, state, and federal policies and procedures
  • HRLR Expertise: Serve as a resident expert in HR and labor relations and proactively guide all employees and leaders
  • Program Implementation: Communicate and implement HR and labor relations programs and initiatives
  • Program Adaptation: Adapt programs to meet site needs within defined program boundaries
  • Union Partnership: Partner with Site HR Leader and Labor COE to continue development of positive relations with the local USW union
  • COE Liaison: Liaise with Labor COE to continue development of best-in-class labor relations programs and practices
  • Process Improvement: Effectively identify, interpret, and communicate opportunities for improvement in the HR and labor relations space
  • Solution Development: Collaborate with appropriate COE resources to develop appropriate solutions

4. Labor Relations Specialist Accountabilities

  • Change Management: Guide leadership in sound change-management practices
  • Policy Consulting: Develop and interpret policies and site practices, resolve people-related issues, and consult on strategic and employee relations opportunities
  • Leadership Coaching: Actively coach leadership in resolving employee issues
  • Talent Development: Focus on talent development and improve leadership capabilities with real-time support
  • Staffing Strategy: Partner with leadership to stay current on staffing strategies to ensure adequate resources are available to support the assets
  • HR Support: Support critical HR components
  • Market Analysis: Proactively identify market conditions that may negatively impact the human resource plan for the site
  • Retention Planning: Evaluate, research, and make recommendations for future stability and talent retention to support strategic business goals

5. Labor Relations Specialist Functions

  • Confidential Investigations: Conduct confidential investigations regarding employee concerns with a sense of urgency and provide summary results to appropriate leadership and corporate
  • Performance Management: Consistently manage performance management actions to promote internal equity and focus on performance improvement
  • Union Communication: Be responsible for the communication of site and business initiatives with Union representatives
  • Policy Implementation: Ensure appropriate steps are taken with union leadership to effectively implement program or policy changes
  • Labor Relations: Own all labor relations activities such as grievances, arbitrations, union information requests, CBA negotiations, and all site policy and program changes
  • Legal Collaboration: Collaborate with internal legal resources on employee and labor relations topics
  • Employee Storytelling: Leverage technology to create compelling stories for employees and leadership
  • Data Analysis: Analyze data in Excel and create presentations in PowerPoint

6. Labor Relations Specialist Overview

  • Discipline Processing: Process people's discipline cases across departments
  • Incident Review: Conduct reviews on received incident reports for appropriate action
  • Case Monitoring: Monitor and update the case monitoring file on processed cases for weekly reports
  • Notice Drafting: Draft notices such as Return To Work Order, Notice to Explain, Notice of Disciplinary Action, and other documents required during case investigation
  • Policy Execution: Participate in the creation, review, and execution of labor relations policies and standard operating procedures
  • Process Improvement: Provide recommendations for process improvement to the People Management and Development team
  • Labor Law Updates: Keep abreast with current and new DOLE circulars, labor laws, and regulations
  • LR Support: Assist the Labor Relations Officer in other functions related to labor relations

7. Labor Relations Specialist Details and Accountabilities

  • Manager Coaching: Support and coach Managers through Performance Management, Performance Reviews, Employee Relations, and Probationary Period Management
  • Conflict Resolution: Anticipate, identify, and facilitate the resolution of employee relations conflicts
  • Compliance Investigations: Conduct investigations for ethics and compliance
  • Labor Law Advisory: Serve as the first point of contact for all aspects related to labour law at the Barcelona offices
  • CBA Negotiations: Participate in collective agreement negotiations on behalf of the company
  • Conflict Negotiation: Negotiate labour conflicts on behalf of the company
  • Legal Consultation: Participate in the analysis and resolution of labor legal consultations
  • Project Support: Support consultation of complex projects in cooperation with Operations, HR, and Legal departments
  • EU Law Compliance: Ensure compliance with EU employment law and lead regular meetings with Staff Representatives and Works Council while participating in collective negotiation
  • Agreement Drafting: Assist in drafting collective agreements and ensure negotiation of the Internal Regulations

8. Labor Relations Specialist Tasks

  • Workplace Safety: Maintain a safe, clean working environment, including unit-based safety and infection control requirements
  • Policy Interpretation: Serve as a point of contact for employee relations issues including policy interpretation as it relates to union contracts
  • Manager Training: Assist and train managers on best practice performance management
  • HR Forms Processing: Receive and process Add, Change, and Hire forms
  • HRIS Data Entry: Work with managers and HR employees to obtain reliable information and ensure accurate data transfer to the HRIS system
  • Pay Rate Updates: Work with Compensation and HRIS functions to apply accurate pay rates, status, department, and other job-related information
  • Dispute Resolution: Consult with management regarding preventative labor relations and interpretation and resolution of disputes for union and non-union employees
  • HR Advisory Support: Provide operational HR support including assessing and making recommendations about HR related matters
  • Weingarten Compliance: Apply Weingarten rights and issue Skelly letters according to policy and union contracts
  • Grievance Handling: Handle labor and union issues related to employee relations and grievances
  • Progressive Discipline: Apply employee relations programs including progressive discipline, termination issues, and grievances
  • Project Support: Report, conduct research, work on special projects and other duties

9. Labor Relations Specialist Roles

  • Agreement Interpretation: Interpret labor relations agreements by responding to questions through written interpretive letters and memos and by responding to union inquiries and requests
  • Management Counseling: Counsel management in the interpretation of agreements
  • Union Representation: Act as a management representative in dealing with the union
  • Agreement Administration: Provide management representation in administering the provisions of agreements between the union and management
  • ER Investigations: Conduct employee relations investigations
  • Complaint Handling: Handle employee complaints, employee grievances, and employee discipline and promote positive employee relationships on-site
  • Dispute Oversight: Provide guidance and oversee the dispute resolution process at union operations involving employees and management
  • Hourly Coordination: Coordinate with plant and unit management on matters concerning hourly personnel

10. Labor Relations Specialist Additional Details

  • Factory Support: Resolve incidents and provide support in the factory in everything related to labor relations and personnel administration, including payroll, dismissal processing, attendance control, and absenteeism indicators
  • HR Projects: Actively participate in HR projects and support the implementation of new personnel policies and HR related issues
  • Recruitment Support: Provide support in recruitment procedures
  • Candidate Sourcing: Search for recruitment sources, job offers, CV screening, and interviews
  • Onboarding Leadership: Lead the onboarding process for new employees and help introduce them to the company
  • Cross-Team Coordination: Coordinate with managers and different departments involved in the factory
  • Training Management: Manage the courses and training program
  • Training Logistics: Make calls, prepare rooms and materials
  • Training Documentation: Keep track of attendees and manage the necessary documentation
Relevant Information
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