Ellen Dichner is a Distinguished Lecturer in Labor Studies at CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. She has practiced labor and employment law for more than 25 years. During the Obama administration, she served as Chief Counsel to the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. Before her appointment at the NLRB, she was a partner at a New York City law firm where she handled a wide range of matters on behalf of unions, including collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, union organizing campaigns, litigation in federal and state courts as well as in proceedings before government agencies. Professor Dichner also represented individuals and groups of workers in wage and hour cases, employment discrimination and other litigation.

As a co-teacher of CSTEP Project L.A.W., she uses court decisions from real-life labor law cases to prepare students for the kinds of cases they can be expected to read and analyze as law students and as practicing lawyers.

 

Selected Publications

     

    Recent News

    Degrees

    • B.A., Government, Oberlin College
    • J.D., Northeastern University School of Law

    Selected Publications

    Areas of Expertise

    • Labor law

    Courses Taught

    • LABR 669, Special Topics – Labor Arbitration: the law and practice
    • LABR 669, Special Topics — The future of labor law: eliminating impediments to organizing workers
    • LABR 604, Labor Law
    • LABR 302, Contemporary Labor Issues
    • Project Law

    Publications, Interviews and More

    Presentations

    • March 2021 – Panelist
      The First 100 Days: Policy Priorities for Labor and Social Justice Movements
      New Labor Forum webinar
    • May 2019 – Panelist
      Catching Up with the NLRB: What’s Happening and What’s on the Horizon
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Annual Conference
    • November 2016 – Keynote Speaker
      Recent Developments in NLRA Law
      38th Annual Labor Law Conference
      New Jersey State Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, and National Labor Relations Board, Region 22
    • June 2013 – Paper and Panelist
      Developments in NLRB Representation Law
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Annual Conference
    • April 2011 – Panelist
      Recent Developments and Issues Before the NLRB
      Association of the Bar of the City of New York
    • June 2010 – Panelist
      Advancing Organizing Through Labor Law
      SEIU Lawyers Conference
    • April 2008 – Presenter
      Expanding Paths to Representation
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Northeast Regional Conference
    • October 2007 – Panelist
      Neutrality and Recognition Agreements
      SEIU Annual Lawyers Conference: Campaigns for Social Justice
    • February 2003 – Paper and Panelist
      MV Transportation, 337 NLRB No. 129 (2002)
      American Bar Association, Section on Labor and Employment Law
    • May 2001 – Paper and Panelist
      Intermittent/Partial Strikes, In-Plant Work Stoppages, Refusal to Work Overtime and Work-to-Rule
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Annual Conference
    • March 2000 – Speaker
      Organizing Law Workshop
      Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations
    • September 1999 – Panelist
      Independent Contractors under the NLRA and FLSA: The Intersection of Immigration and Employment Law
      Matthew Bender Continuing Legal Education Program
    • June 1999 – Panelist
      The Legal Rights of Unions and Employees During Union Organizing Drives
      New York City Central Labor Council
    • October 1998 – Panelist
      NLRA Representation Law and Procedure
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Northeast Regional Conference
    • June 1997 – Paper and Panelist
      Asserting the Union’s Right After Certification
      AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, Annual Conference
    • September 1995 – Panelist
      Injunctive Relief Under the National Labor Relations Act
      Conference on Basic NLRA Law and Procedures, American Bar Association and New York State Bar Association