Energy

The energy industry today

With millions of workers nationwide, the energy industry ranks among the largest groups of employers in the United States. In recent years, energy clients have seen an increase in litigation over employment decisions, including workforce reductions, wage and hour practices, and workplace safety matters.

Changing dynamics caused by global events, the rise and fall in oil and gas prices, and production have also placed significant strain on energy companies. These challenges, together with the industry’s growing employment base, generate unique workplace challenges and a create a host of new uncertainties in managing workforces.

Littler is poised to help

Littler has a long history of advising clients in the energy industry and its subsectors, making our attorneys well-positioned to counsel clients of all types, including those engaged in the following:

• Oil and gas exploration and extraction
• Energy services
• Mining
• Power generation
• Transmission and transportation
• Alternative energy (wind, biomass, solar, hydro, etc.)
• Utilities
• End-user development (specialty chemical, etc.)
• Oil and gas equipment/service providers
• Energy marketing

Electric power generation and distribution

The world runs on electric power. Meeting this demand in the United States are thousands of public utilities and related companies. These companies generate and distribute electricity to millions of residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as thousands more who support the industry. These companies employ more than one million workers and must conform to an array of federal, state, and local labor and employment laws and regulations.

Littler has significant resources and broad knowledge of the relevant workplace issues, including labor negotiations and arbitrations and subcontracting disputes.

Oil and gas industry experience

While the oil and gas industry is a broad and diverse industry, employers in this sector face common challenges dealing with a highly regulated environment and an extremely sensitive business climate. Littler understands the complex workplace challenges faced by such companies, including the rapid expansion and contraction of labor needs, the proliferation of multi-layered staffing and consulting arrangements, and the need for a strong defense against aggressive wage and hour litigation. Every day, we help clients manage the myriad legal issues that affect the workplace and the unique hurdles and regulations faced by oil and gas industry employers.

We represent numerous companies in the industry, including crude petroleum and natural gas extracting companies, drilling companies, oil and gas transportation and distribution companies, oil and gas pipeline companies, industrial gas manufacturers, and oil and gas field machinery and equipment manufacturers.

Our national footprint matters

Littler advises clients on complex employment and labor law matters stemming from changing market dynamics and heightened regulatory scrutiny. Our national platform helps us efficiently respond to issues confronting our energy clients – no matter the location. The diverse practice groups within Littler allow our attorneys to consult and collaborate with colleagues who have extensive relevant experience, no matter the topic.

We regularly advise and represent energy clients on a variety of matters, including:

• Wage and hour
• Class action litigation
• Contingent employees
• Independent contractor and employee misclassification
• Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• Workplace safety and OSHA
• Union organizing
• Union contract negotiation, administration, and arbitration
• Immigration
• Trade secret/noncompetition
• Privacy and data security
• Business restructuring
• Whistleblowing
• International labor and employment laws

Littler attorneys have assisted energy clients in numerous arenas – such as handling large-scale wage and hour litigation, favorably resolving Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. We understand how this industry operates and are very familiar with labor and employment issues that are unique to energy employers, their contractors, and other business partners. This knowledge fuels our labor and employment advice and allows us to serve as a client’s advocate and business partner.