Cornfield and Feldman LLP - Chicago, IL

Overview

Cornfield and Feldman has specialized in the representation of workers and their unions for over 40 years. The firm currently serves as General Counsel to two of the largest state union organizations in Illinois, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Council 31 of the American Federation of States; County and Municipal Employees. The firm also represents many other regional, state and local labor unions in Illinois and Northwest Indiana which belong to:

• The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
• The Communications Workers of America
• The International brotherhood of Electrical Workers
• The Bakery, Confectionary and Tobacco Workers International Union
• The Paperworkers
• Allied Industrial
• Chemical and Energy Workers International Union
• The United Mine Workers of America
• The International Association of Firefighters

The firm also regularly represents International Unions as diverse as:

• The American Guild of Musical Artists
• The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union
• The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America

Through these unions we have represented different kinds of professional employees ranging from elementary and secondary school teachers, university professors, lawyers, health care professionals such as doctors, dentists and nurses, radio and TV broadcasters, and artists such as symphony musicians, opera singers and ballet dancers. Indeed, we currently represent the interns and residents employed at Cook County Hospital, who are affiliated with the National Union and Hospital and Health Care Employees and with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. We have twice represented the attending physicians at Cook County Hospital in their effort to secure union representation.

See:
Nat'l Union of Hosp. Emp v. Co. of Cook, 295 Ill. App. 3d 1012 (First Dist. 1998)
Cook County Hospital, 3 Pub. Employee Rep. (Ill.) 3032 (1987)

We have also represented employees who had individual contracts with their employers in addition to being covered by collective bargaining agreements. For example, we recently represented sportscaster Tim Wiegle in a employment dispute with ABC. Finally, we have also represented individuals in many discrimination cases arising from the state and federal civil rights laws and in cases to enforce state and federal labor standards statutes.

Our practice involves counseling unions, presenting educational programs to their members and staff and representing those unions in contract negotiations, arbitrations, states and federal ad, inistrative proceedings, and in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Every member of our firm has extensive litigation experience in all of these forums. This includes litigation before the National Labor Relations Board and comparable state labor relations agencies, the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements in federal court and litigation under the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act of 1974. In addition, our representation of public employee unions such as AFSCME and the IFT has mean that we have often undertaken extensive constitutional litigation in state and federal courts.