In recent weeks, Governor Deval Patrick made two crucial appointments to the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (CERB), the three-member board charged primarily with hearing appeals of dismissals and Hearing Officer decisions. First, on August 20, 2008, Governor Patrick appointed Elizabeth Neumeier, Esq., as the first per diem Member of the CERB. Then, on October 27, 2008, Governor Patrick appointed Marjorie Wittner as Chair of the CERB. With the two appointments, the CERB now has a quorum and will begin conducting business, particularly as it relates to the issuance of final decisions and the consideration of backlogged probable cause determinations of cases filed prior to the enactment of the legislation that reorganized the Commonwealth’s labor relations agencies into the Division of Labor Relations, Chapter 145 of the Acts of 2007.
Ms. Neumeier is a well-respected Arbitrator, Mediator and Facilitator with many years of labor experience. She holds a BA in Economics from New York University and a Juris Doctor from Boston University. Prior to becoming a full-time arbitrator, she served as Counsel for the Association of Flight Attendants and as an attorney with the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Since 1993, she has been nationally renowned arbitrator, serving on permanent panels such as the United Steel & United Steelworkers of America, MLB & the MLB Players’ Association, and the NHL & the NHL Players Association. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and the Association of Conflict Resolution. Her term will expire on August 25, 2011.
Ms. Wittner has been appointed to a five (5) year term as the full-time Chair of the CERB. In addition to a BA from Brandeis, she holds a Masters Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell. Prior to getting her law degree from New York University, Ms. Wittner served as a Field Examiner with the National Labor Relations Board where she investigated unfair labor practices and conducted representation elections. After law school, she entered private practice which was devoted almost exclusively to labor and employment matters. She commenced employment with the former Labor Relations Commission in 2001 where she served as a hearing officer responsible for investigating prohibited practice charges and presiding over hearings. During her tenure at the Commission, she also served as Chief Counsel responsible for litigating appeals of Commission decisions before the Appeals Court. Recently, she has been in private practice as an attorney and arbitrator. In addition to her experience, Ms. Wittner is the author of numerous articles and is a former Board Member of the New England Consortium of Labor Relations Agencies.
