Employee and Labor Relations Specialist

To enrich education through diversity, The College of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse staff committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment, and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans.

Close Date: February 4, 2025
Job Title: Employee and Labor Relations Specialist
NJ CSC Job Spec Code & Title: 81264 - Professional Services Specialist 2, Administrative Services
Job Category: Classified, Non-Competitive, NE (35 Hour) Workweek
Union Description: CWA
Class Code: 24
Internal Salary Range: P24/$71,214.38 - $101,098.38
External Salary Range: P24/$71,214.38 - $$81,175.72 (Steps 1-4)
The internal salary range is used for applicants who are current NJ state employees with underlying classified status for promotional calculations who meet the requirements below.
The external salary range is used for candidates who are not NJ state employees who meet the requirements below.

Position Summary:

This position independently provides confidential professional support for the Office of Human Resources in the area of employee and labor relations. The position is responsible for reviewing, understanding and interpreting union contracts and processing employee discipline and grievances as well as administrative investigations.

Main Responsibilities:

• Schedules meetings and conducts investigative interviews, hearings and exit interviews; Tracks, creates and organizes labor relations files and maintains confidentiality; Prepares meeting agendas and takes and distributes meeting minutes; Updates the union contact lists; Processes union releases and access to premises; Works with Supervisor or designee and distributes urgent communications campus-wide pertaining to contractual changes and/or urgent union communication required to campus members; Responds to email/phone call/HR ticket inquiries. Prepares correspondence.
• Analyzes employee discipline requests and provides discipline recommendations; Completes PNDA's, FNDA's, and related disciplinary documents for appointing authority approval; . Collects information and gathers evidence to substantiate claims; Tracks appeals; Logs cases on a spreadsheet and/or in the Labor Relations database; Distributes PNDAs and FNDAs; Responds to employee grievances; Communicates with CSC/GOER about contractual obligations; Attends monthly meetings with unions; Conducts periodic audits; Works closely with HRIS unit in providing required information to unions as part of contractual obligations and deadlines; Responsible for ensuring that all time frames are met in accordance with Civil Service Commission’s regulations and union contracts.
• Assures consistent interpretation of contractual provisions; Provides advice and guidance to Managers and Supervisors regarding contractual matters or employee relations issues; Prepares reports and college-wide emails and updates policies and procedures as requested; Acts as Management representative for disciplinary and grievance matters; Provides training to management representatives and hearing officers; Assigns hearing officers to cases; Consults with supervisors, Title IX, EEO, Deans, VPs, etc. on employees issues; Provides mediations when warranted; Reviews and responds to reasonable suspicion cases; Works closely with Legal department about OAL/Arbitration cases; Assists in the investigation of claims of harassment/hostile work environment claims and other administrative investigations.
• Reviews incoming requests to place union employees on excessive sick leave notice; Tracks requests on a spreadsheet and alerts supervision when the time for requesting medical documentation has ended; Audits sick leave for all College employees on a biannual basis. Works closely with Director and AVP with Essential Employee designations and Clothing Maintenance Allowance payouts; Manages and works closely with supervisors who's staff member(s) require a performance improvement plan.
• Alerts the unions regarding attendees for new hire orientation. Schedules CWA employees for CBOs. May schedule employees with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Schedules and conducts supervisor training for Facilities department.
• Other projects and duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Graduation from an accredited college with a Bachelor's degree. Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute experience on a year for year basis. A Master's degree may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.
• Four years of technical work experience in the administration of negotiated contracts, grievance and disciplinary processing programs.
• Knowledge of modern administrative and other office routines, procedures, and practices, and their application to specific situations.
• Ability to read and interpret department regulations, programs, standards, and procedures. Ability to read and interpret NJCSC Title 4A and union contracts. Ability to type correspondence and reports, often of a complex and difficult nature, rapidly and accurately. Ability to act as confidential support to a Manager and to relieve him/her of office detail. Ability to organize and process administrative work, often of a confidential nature related to employee discipline and grievances.
• Ability to use correct English, to spell correctly, and to use correct sentence and paragraph structure. Ability to communicate with Managers and Supervisors, employees, labor unions and the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. Ability to prepare statistical and other reports. Ability to write Hearing and Investigative reports. Ability to maintain confidential, follow-up, and other records and files.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English.

Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations in order to perform the essential functions of the position. If the requested accommodation(s) cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, the applicant may not be eligible for the position.

Employer Qualifications:

• Final offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and reference checks.
• Residency Requirement: In accordance with the New Jersey First Act P.L. 2011 c.70, effective September 1, 2011, new public employees in certain positions (faculty exempt) are required to obtain New Jersey residency within one (1) year of employment. Applicants must meet the requirements listed.

About TCNJ

TCNJ is a highly selective institution that has earned national recognition for its commitment to excellence. Founded in 1855, TCNJ has become an exemplar of the best in public higher education and is consistently acknowledged as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation. TCNJ currently is ranked as one of the 75 "Most Competitive" schools in the nation by Barron's Profiles of American Colleges and is rated the No. 1 public institution in the northern region of the country by U.S. News & World Report. TCNJ was named the #10 value in public higher education by the Princeton review in 2009 and, in 2006, was awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter - an honor shared by less than 10 percent of colleges and universities nationally. A strong liberal arts core forms the foundation for programs offered through TCNJ's seven schools - Arts & Communication; Business; Education; Humanities and Social Sciences; Science; Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science; and Engineering. TCNJ faculty members are teacher-scholars who share a commitment to liberal learning. TCNJ is located within an hour, by train, of New York City and Philadelphia. The College's campus is set on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing Township and is known for its natural beauty and has 39 major buildings.

Employee Benefits:

As a member of The College of New Jersey Community, you will be a part of an exciting and rewarding public university career. Eligible full-time employees will be able to take advantage of a generous benefits package that includes health, welfare, and retirement benefits, including:

• Comprehensive benefit plans covering medical, dental and prescription plans
• Generous leave entitlements program and Energy Savings Program
• Employee and dependent Tuition Waiver and Reimbursement Program
• Pension, retirement, and deferred compensation plans, group life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee affinity groups
• New Jersey State Employee Discount Program (Pet insurance, cell phone plan discounts, discounted amusement park tickets, etc.)
• Access to extensive learning opportunities

To view a comprehensive list of benefits available to employees, visit our Health Benefits Plans and Programs page to learn more!

Application Instructions

Qualified candidates should apply online at: careers@tcnj.edu and submit a letter of interest, resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references. Applications will be considered until a viable candidate is selected.

SAME Applicants

If you are applying under the New Jersey "SAME" program, your supporting documents (Schedule A or B letter), resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references by the closing date listed above to: same@tcnj.edu. For more information on the SAME program visit their website at: https://nj.gov/csc/same/overview/index.shtml, email: SAME@csc.nj.gov, or call CSC at: 833-691-0404.