Ryan J. Funk

Managing Unionized Workforces

Ryan helps employers whose employees are represented by a union. He guides them in implementing policy changes and managing performance. He partners with them to negotiate union contracts that maximize management flexibility and achieve strategic objectives. When there is a good relationship with the union, he maintains it. When the relationship is not functioning well, he rehabilitates it.

Supporting Non-union Workforces

Drawing on his experience with unions, Ryan helps non-union employers remain non-union. He does this by helping them maintain the strengths in their workplace cultures and take advantage of opportunities to improve. He facilitates leadership meetings to address these concerns, and trains managers and supervisors to help create a sustainably high-performing non-union environment. When employees are considering union organizing, he works with management to ensure they are best positioned to address it.

Invaluable Experience

The NLRB provided Ryan the bedrock of his experience in labor law. He spent the first eight years of his career at the agency, where he learned the nuances of the law and procedures that affect both union and non-union employers. Since then, he has built on this experience by representing and advising a highly diverse portfolio of employers, from Fortune 100 companies to small nonprofits. He is distinguished by his experience in not only legacy union industries, but also in environments where unions are completely new to employees and management. Ryan draws on this combination of depth and breadth, and filters it through his natural inclination toward creative, practical solutions for clients.

Leadership in the Field

Ryan is a national thought-leader in labor law. He frequently speaks and writes on labor law topics important to employers, including trends in collective bargaining and strikes, and changes to the NLRB procedures and laws that govern union organizing.