Bruce J. Douglas is a shareholder in the Minneapolis office of Ogletree Deakins. He has more than 25 years of experience advising and defending employers in administrative and litigation matters in the full range of both traditional labor and employment law matters. He has represented clients in a wide range of industry lines, including manufacturing, baking, printing, resorts and lodging, finance, security, health care, insurance, communications, temporary personnel staffing, trucking, airlines, railroads, and business process outsourcing. Bruce has extensive experience in wage and hour matters and class and collective actions. He has conducted internal corporate investigations and frequently conducts training for managers.
Trial and Litigation Experience
Tried cases to verdict in both jury trials and bench trials. Cases include claims arising under Title VII and state human rights acts (Minnesota, New York, Texas and several other states), the ADA, the ADEA, whistleblower and retaliation statutes, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Federal Railroad Safety Act, claims of wrongful discharge, retaliation under section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Experience includes class actions under Title VII and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Wage and Hour Experience
Represented employers in FLSA collective actions ranging from several hundred potential opt-ins to more than 10,000 opt-ins both in judicial and in arbitral forums. He has conducted audits to establish the exempt or non-exempt status of employees and has directed clients in responding to U.S. DOL audits as well as state labor department audits and complaints. Experience includes retail and non-retail, commissions and bonus plans, computer professionals, and interrelationship of wage and hour laws with federal labor laws and state labor laws.
Traditional Labor Experience
Represented employers in proceedings in the National Labor Relations Board, including hearings in representation cases, campaigns, hearings and appeals in unfair labor practice charge cases, and section 301 cases. Collective bargaining, including serving as chief spokesman in bargaining for employers, trials of labor arbitrations.
Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act
Advises and represents employers in reductions-in-force and layoffs and provides guidance for compliance with the federal WARN Act and state counterparts.
Non-Competition Litigation Experience
Prosecuted and defended covenants not to compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality and trade secret cases. Conducted hearings in motions for temporary restraining orders, temporary injunctions, and permanent injunctions following bench and jury trials.
Appellate Law Experience
Argued and briefed numerous appeals to the United States Courts of Appeals. Member of the Bar of the U. S. Supreme Court.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Bruce has assisted clients and their corporate counsel in the complex area of labor and employment and benefits issues that arise in the context of stock or asset acquisitions of businesses. He is experienced in analyzing successorship issues under labor and employment statutes and identifying potential liabilities arising from multi-employer pension plans.
