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Jeffrey P. Chicoine

With years of experience providing sophisticated legal analyses in the public and private sectors, I have a true understanding of my clients and their needs and bring institutional knowledge to deliver effective solutions. Quotation mark
Jeffrey P. Chicoine
Jeffrey P. Chicoine
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About Jeffrey

Jeff Chicoine is a partner who has long-represented public and private employers in labor relations and employment matters. Jeff’s labor relations practice includes substantial experience with at-the-table labor negotiations. He bargains for private employers and on behalf of public agencies for both their strike-permitted and strike-prohibited units. He also represents employers in grievance arbitrations, interest arbitrations, union-organizing drives, representation petitions, unfair labor practice complaints, and civil service cases.

Jeff has handled more than 100 arbitrations or administrative hearings as an advocate or administrative judge. He served as an administrative judge for three years with the Oregon Employment Relations Board and then under contract for other public agencies, providing him with invaluable insight when preparing and presenting cases.

More recently, Jeff has represented single and multi-employer benefit plans in large scale litigation in various forums. Clients continue to depend on Jeff's extensive experience on a broad range of employment law matters, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, trade secret, noncompetition agreements, wage and hour, severance, and other employment issues.

He has successfully defended employers in matters including wage-and-hour class actions, wrongful discharge, discrimination, and harassment claims. Jeff also pursues and defends against injunction actions. With his expertise in administrative law, he additionally assists clients in dealing with state and federal government agencies in non-employment matters.

Representative Experience

  • Collective Bargaining Plus
    • Served as chief spokesperson in the public and private sectors. In the private sector, handled negotiations for employers in wood products, paper products, rubber, transportation and delivery, and construction. Represented cities, counties, and special districts, in bargaining agreements for general wall-to-wall units and fire, police, parole and probation officers, 9-1-1 operators, and juvenile detention workers.

    • For public and private employers, arbitrated grievance disputes involving discharges, lesser forms of discipline, unsatisfactory work performance, contract violations, duties and assignments, and wages and benefits. Public sector work includes interest arbitrations. Handled numerous unfair labor practice proceeding for public and private employers, involving issues such as arbitrability, deferral, blocking charges, interference, discrimination, bad faith bargaining, unilateral changes, and contract violations.

    • Believing that prevention is best, counseled employers and prepared and presented numerous workshops on remaining union-free even before the union starts organizing. Counseled and represented employers in union organizing efforts in the public and private sectors.

    • Assisted employers, public and private, in preparing for strikes, which is frequently the best strike prevention measure. During strikes or picketing, handled in-court injunction proceedings and pursued administrative remedies for both private and public sector employers.

    • Represented parties in disputes over employee benefits, including ERISA cases. Recently handled several cases representing single and multi-employer pension plans in federal court and administrative proceedings.

    • In recent years, work on wage and hour matters has expanded and included defending employers in multiple class actions, individual claims and compliance advice on issues such as minimum wage, prevailing wage, meals and rest break as well as classification issues involving exemptions under state and federal law and independent contractor status. Served on the Governor’s Task Force on Independent Contractors, which resulted in legislative amendments revising Oregon’s independent contractor statute.

    • On behalf of executives and employers, advised parties about restrictive covenants in business transactions, employment contracts and severance arrangements, and litigated injunction and damage actions resulting from alleged violations.

    • Defended employers in state and federal court in wrongful discharge, discrimination, and harassment claims. Routinely counsels employers about such matters both in routine personnel decisions and in the development of handbooks and policies.

Services

Education

  • J.D., University of Illinois, 1981
    • Articles Editor, University of Illinois Law Review
  • M.A., University of Illinois, labor and industrial relations, 1981
  • B.S., University of Illinois, summa cum laude, 1977
    • Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • Oregon, 1990
  • Washington, 2003
  • Illinois, 1981

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Additional Information

ELIM - Contributor

Activities

Professional Plus
  • Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (Oregon PELRA), Board of Directors, Advocacy Counsel, 2018-present
  • Oregon State Bar
    • Labor and Employment Law Section
      • Past Chair, 2004
      • Past Executive Committee Member
      • Past Secretary
      • Past Treasurer
    • Appointed by Oregon State Bar’s Board of Governors to cochair the Bar/CPA Joint Committee, 2001
    • Client Security Fund Committee, Member, 2007-2008
    • Local Professional Committee, Member, 2007-2010
  • Governor’s Task Force on Independent Contractors, Member, 2005
  • The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
    • Ninth Circuit North Credentials Committee, Member, 2022-present
Civic Plus
  • Actively volunteered locally and statewide, promoting community and children’s issues
  • Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Legislative Committee, Member, 2007-2012
  • West Linn-Wilsonville School Board, Member, 1995-2001
  • Helped to organize a statewide citizens network advocating adequate school funding and served as its first president, 1993
  • Organized a neighborhood association in West Linn, leading a successful effort to persuade the city to purchase land and develop a park for his fast-growing neighborhood, 1990

Recognition

  • Elected as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
  • Award of Excellence, Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, 2017
  • Rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Recognized as a “Leader in Their Field” by Chambers USA for Labor & Employment—Oregon, 2023–present
  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (Portland, OR)
    • Labor Law—Management, 2024-present

Insights from Jeffrey

Jeff is a frequent speaker on various topics. Following is a listing of presentations since 2015. A complete list is available upon request.

  • “PECBA Right to Strike, Implement, Arbitrate: Trends, Lessons, and Implications,” Oregon Employment Relations Board and the Oregon Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association, Commemorating 50 Years of the Oregon Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA), panelist (May 2024)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 13th Annual Labor Relations Update,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2023)
  • “Evidence in Grievance Arbitrations,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, Annual Meeting, National Public Employer Labor Relations Association Academy on the Fundamentals of Grievance Handling (Dec. 2022)
  • “All Aboard the HR Express: A Tour of Federal, State, & Labor Legal Updates,” Miller Nash, Employment Law Seminar (Oct. 2022)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 12th Annual Labor Relations Update,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (June 2022)
  • “Federal, State, Local and Labor Law Updates,” Miller Nash, Employment Law Seminar (Dec. 2021)
  • “Nonsense, Non-truths, Un-Truths and Consequences: Brady and Police Legislation,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, Annual Training Conference (Dec. 2021)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 11th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, webinar (June 2021)
  • “Managing a Build from a Distance: Hearings in the Remote Environment,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Employment Law Seminar (Dec. 2020)
  • “Change Orders Needed? 2020 Oregon Public Sector Update,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Employment Law Seminar (Dec. 2020)
  • “Hot Topics: A Panel Review,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, Annual Training Conference, moderator (Nov. 2020)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 10th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association, webinar (June 2020)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 9th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2019)
  • “The Game is Afoot: Local, State, Federal, Union Update, Including the Equal Pay Act and Compliance,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Employment Law Seminar (Nov. 2018)
  • “Bargaining Class Size and Workload,” Oregon School Personnel Association, Summer Advanced HR Retreat (July 2018)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 8th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2018)
  • “It’s a New Era at the NLRB: What Every Nonunion and Union Employer Should Know About Key Changes in Federal Labor Law,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn webinar (Mar. 2018)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 7th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2017)
  • “Evil Spells and Fairy Tales: State, Federal, and Union Updates for 2016,” Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Employment Law Seminar (Nov. 2016)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 6th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2016)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 5th Annual Review of Recent Oregon Public Sector Labor Cases,” Oregon Public Employer Labor Relations Association (May 2015)

Collaborations

Outside the Office

Jeff enjoys the outdoors. He is an avid bicyclist and likes to snowboard and cross-country-ski in the winter. When time allows, Jeff also likes to backpack and climb the ice-covered volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest.

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