William S. Myers

Overview

Bill Myers has been a labor and employment lawyer for three decades. He is both an advocate and a counselor, and he carries both sets of tools to work on every client matter.

Bill is experienced in the full range of federal law governing employment and labor relations, as well as the spectrum of similar state laws and the growing body of workplace regulation by cities. Bill has advised countless companies, large and small, and has represented them—as both defendant and plaintiff—in state and federal courts and trial and appellate courts throughout the country, and in mediation and arbitration in a variety of settings.

Bill also has extensive experience advising and representing clients on regulatory matters before the many federal, state, and local agencies that address labor and employment issues, with a special emphasis in workplace safety and health (OSHA) in both general industry and construction, and on wage and hour matters involving overtime compensation and exemptions.

Representative Matters

• Defended employers in employee lawsuits for discrimination and harassment, overtime and other compensation, employee benefits, wrongful discharge, retaliation, and other employment law claims in individual actions, Rule 23 class actions, and Section 16(b) collective actions.
• Defended employers in lawsuits by former employees seeking to invalidate restrictive covenants and other contract terms prohibiting post-employment competition.
• Defended employers in lawsuits by other employers for hiring their former employees, including tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, and related claims.
• Pursued claims for employers against former employees and their new employers for breach of restrictive covenants and other contract provisions, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of duty of loyalty, unfair competition, and related claims.
• Advised employers on federal and state laws affecting wages, hours and overtime pay, employee safety and health, individual employment decisions and reductions in force, employee handbooks and policy manuals, and individual employment contracts.
• Assisted employers in responding to investigations, inspections, and audits by federal, state, and local regulatory agencies under laws governing wages, hours, and overtime pay, discrimination and harassment, retaliation and whistleblower claims, and affirmative action.
• Represented employers in occupational safety and health inquiries, inspections, citations, and litigation involving OSHA, MSHA, and approved state agencies.
• Conducted internal client investigations involving claims of retaliation, harassment, and other misconduct, both at corporate offices and in remote facilities.
• Advised transaction lawyers on labor and employment aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate deals and documents.
• Negotiated collective bargaining agreements for employers under Sections 8(f) and 9(a); filed and defended claims and charges under Sections 301 and 302; filed and defended unfair labor practice charges for employers and handled related investigations, hearings, and appeals; and worked on national, corporate, and single-site representation cases and election campaigns.