Safety First. Excellence. Pride. Integrity. Compassion. Trust. Are you ready to plant your career in a place where words like these serve as the foundation for doing business every day? At Michigan Sugar, our purpose is Making Life Sweeter, and our mission is Creating Growth and Opportunity.
Michigan Sugar Company has an immediate, full-time opportunity for a Employee and Labor Relations Manager, located at the Bay City Factory, 2600 S. Euclid Ave., Bay City, MI 48706.JOB SUMMARYThe Employee & Labor Relations Manager negotiates, manages and oversees administration of labor contracts, and provides interpretation of labor contracts to managers, employees and other HR staff. This position is responsible for managing the timely resolution of grievances for all union contracts. The Employee & Labor Relations Manager should advise and assist operations managers and supervisors on items such as employee & labor relations matters, performance issues, disciplinary actions, investigations, complaints and other matters impacting the workforce, including providing guidance and closure on corrective actions.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES - Effectively manages grievance meetings and arbitration hearings. Maintains collaborative working relations with management and union leadership, serving as facilitator in resolving labor/management issues.
- Assists in negotiating contract language with input as needed from management, HR leadership and legal counsel.
- Develops written responses to grievances; monitors implementation of policies concerning wages, hours and working conditions; ensures compliance with terms of collective bargaining agreements.
- Provides internal counseling services to management on employee issues; interacts with employment & labor law resources regarding workplace investigations and employment & labor matters; provides recommendations to senior management concerning tactics, training and initiatives to improve overall working relationships.
- Conducts investigations and resolution of employee issues; guides managers and employees through conflict resolution process; develops training to increase employee awareness on policies; diagnoses and identifies proactive steps to avoid recurring workplace issues.
- Proactively develop action plans for continuously improving current contract language. Develop detailed tracking and recommendation plans. Utilize change management efforts with company management and union leadership to achieve necessary goals.
- Provides guidance to leave management resources to ensure all leave cases are managed within the scope of policy and contract language.
- Supports HR team in areas such as benefits, pension, ADP, staffing & recruiting and any other areas where HR expertise may be needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor's Degree in related field or equivalent experience.
- Ten or more (10+) years professional level Human Resources/Labor Relations experience in a manufacturing environment administering collective bargaining agreements.
- Working knowledge of labor and employment laws.
- Well versed in all areas of Human Resources to support the overall HR function.
- Familiarity with Union/Company negotiations.
- Experience managing complex collective bargaining agreements.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office; previous experience with HRIS, preferably ADP.
- Ability to maintain high level of confidentiality.
- Ability to travel to other Company locations as required.
KEY COMPETENCIES - Excellent influence management skills and relationship building.
- Strong negotiation skills and ability to bring issues to resolution.
- Detailed-orientated with strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.
- Solid focus on continuous improvement and automation.
- Demonstrated personal leadership and positive can-do attitude.
- Flexible and able to work in fast paced and varying environments.
- Ability to work well with others in a team environment.
- Self-leadership by demonstrating ethics and integrity, displaying drive and purpose, exhibiting leadership stature, increasing capacity to learn, managing self, increasing self-awareness.
- Leading others by communicating effectively, developing others, valuing diversity and difference, building and maintaining relationships, managing effective teams and work groups.
- Provides model behavior to demonstrate corporate values.
NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by staff assigned to this position. The above statements are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills that may be required. All staff may be required to perform duties outside their normal responsibilities as needed.Michigan Sugar Company offers competitive market wages for both hourly and salaried employees, opportunity for professional growth and development, and comprehensive benefit packages that may include medical, dental, 401(k) and paid time off. To learn more visit www.michigansugar.com.
Michigan Sugar Company was founded in 1906 when six smaller sugar companies merged their operations. In 2002, Michigan Sugar Company became a grower-owned cooperative and in 2004, it merged with Monitor Sugar Company to form the company that exists today.Michigan Sugar Company is headquartered in Bay City and has sugar beet processing facilities in Bay City, Caro, Croswell and Sebewaing. Its nearly 900 grower-owners plant and harvest up to 140,000 acres of sugar beets each year in 17 Michigan counties, as well as Ontario, Canada. Those beets are sliced at the factories and turned into about 1.3 billion pounds of sugar annually.That sugar is sold to industrial, commercial, and retail customers under the Pioneer and Big Chief brands.Michigan Sugar Company has approximately 1,000 year-round employees and an additional 1,100 seasonal workers. It is the No. 1 employer in Huron County, the No. 2 employer in Bay and Sanilac counties and the No. 3 employer in Tuscola County. The company's annual payroll is more than $90 million and its annual local economic impact is about $700 million.Michigan Sugar Company is the third largest of eight sugar beet processing companies in the United States and Michigan is one of 11 states where sugar beets are grown in the country.Michigan Sugar Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer#LI-AS1