Bob Simandl is a Shareholder and Chair of the Labor and Employment Section. He has over 30 years of experience advising clients on a wide range of employee benefit, labor and employment law issues. This experience enables Bob to advise clients on human resources (HR) law issues taking into consideration all areas of opportunity and vulnerability, including the litigation of HR law-based claims. He has extensive experience in advising employers in employee benefit plan design, issues associated with ill and injured workers, labor negotiations, and multi-employer health and welfare plan and pension plan vulnerability and compliance.
Bob counsels employers on all aspects of workplace compliance including hiring, disciplining and terminating employees, accommodation obligations, wage and hour issues, affirmative action, discrimination complaints, non-competition agreements and employee handbook design and development. He has represented employers before the federal district courts, National Labor Relations Board, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and a number of administrative agencies and tribunals, including the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, Wisconsin Equal Rights Division and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
He works with employers to develop standard procedures and forms for FMLA compliance, factoring in the obligations of the employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act and workers’ compensation laws. He also counsels employers on disability discrimination and accommodation concerns. Bob served as an advisor to several legislators in drafting the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and served on the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Task Force as an appointee by the Wisconsin Governor.
Bob assists employers in addressing benefits issues for employees and retirees including multi-employer pension plan withdrawal liability analysis, evaluation, contract planning and contesting of assessments. He counsels employers during organizing campaigns and strikes and represents employers in grievance arbitrations and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. He has served as chief spokesperson for numerous labor contract negotiations.
Bob is the co-author of “The COBRA Guide: COBRA Compliance for Wisconsin Employers” (2000) and author of the “Family and Medical Leave Law Compliance Manual” (1993). He is a frequent speaker on the FMLA, ADA and ERISA.
More Legal and Business Bylines From Robert J. Simandl
- FTC Issues Final Rule Banning Non-Competes - (Posted On Friday, April 26, 2024)
- NLRB Adopts New Framework for Union Representation Proceedings - (Posted On Tuesday, September 05, 2023)
- NLRB Changes the Independent Contractor Standard - (Posted On Monday, June 19, 2023)
- CDC Adjusts Direction on Exposure Quarantine Requirements for Employees - (Posted On Tuesday, August 16, 2022)
- What HR Professionals Need to Know About Illinois Equal Pay Act Certificate Applications - (Posted On Wednesday, March 16, 2022)
- Supreme Court Stays OSHA’s ETS Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination/Testing Requirement - (Posted On Friday, January 14, 2022)
- COVID-19 von Briesen Task Force Resource: CDC Revises COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines - (Posted On Tuesday, December 28, 2021)
- Stay Lifted on OSHA's ETS Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination/Testing Policy - (Posted On Monday, December 20, 2021)
- The Federal Vaccine Mandates Are Finally Here - What Employers Need to Know - (Posted On Friday, November 05, 2021)
- CDC Changes Masking Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals - (Posted On Tuesday, July 27, 2021)
The National Law Review selected von Briesen's COVID-19 Task Force as a Go-To Thought Leader for 2021 for the group’s coverage of COVID-19 vaccine mandates. As the coronavirus vaccine became widely available, many employers debated whether to require vaccines for their employees or if such mandates were legal. In particular, the group’s coverage of OSHA and CMS guidance on federal vaccine mandates provided must-read insights for employers navigating compliance with the rules. Authors who contributed insights into this area include John A. Rubin, Craig T. Papka, Robert J. Simandl and Audrey R. Merkel.