A LAW FIRM FOR UNIONS AND THEIR MEMBERS

SINCE 1977, WE HAVE PROUDLY SERVED THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE MASSACHUSETTS LABOR MOVEMENT. WE REPRESENT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR UNIONS AND EMPLOYEES IN ALL ASPECTS OF EMPLOYMENT.

A painting of a mill building - Lawrence 1912, Meeting on the Common, by Ralph Fasanella, reproduced with permission of the Estate of Ralph Fasanella

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Our Services

The attorneys of Sandulli Grace, P.C. focus on devoting the highest possible level of legal expertise to the representation of labor unions and their members. We care about unions and the members that make them strong. We want to see employees thrive in the workplace and we want strong contracts that create a fair playing field and improve working conditions and compensation. We want our clients to feel rewarded at work and be able to provide for their families and pursue their dreams.

CONTRACT AND INTEREST ARBITRATION

We work with unions, grievants & union members at all stages of the grievance arbitration process. Our attorneys have won hundreds of grievance arbitrations, both in discipline and contract interpretation cases. We also have abundant experience in interest arbitration of collective bargaining agreements.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

We advise union bargaining teams on effective strategies for negotiating beneficial collective bargaining agreements. We’ll help you formulate proposals and we’ll sit at the bargaining table with you. Our attorneys are experts at getting positive results for unions and their members, whether through bargaining, mediation, or interest arbitration.

STRATEGIC ADVICE AND TRAINING

At Sandulli Grace, we believe in forming long term relationships with our union clients. This means we are available to provide advice on long-range planning and strategies and suggest creative approaches to accomplishing the union’s goals. We will train union members and new leaders on the complexities of labor and employment law, on how to run a local union, and more.

LITIGATION

We represent unions and employees in state and federal court in all aspects of labor and employment litigation. We have successfully defended arbitration awards before the Massachusetts appellate courts and have obtained large damages awards for employees in wage disputes cases.
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UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES

Our attorneys represent unions before the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations and the National Labor Relations Board. Several Many of our attorneys are former DLR agents formerly worked at these labor agencies. We have successfully enforced forced employers to comply with all of the labor laws, guaranteeing our clients’ rights to fairly negotiate and enforce their collective bargaining rights, free of anti-union discrimination.

UNION ELECTION LAW

We are committed to the growth of the labor movements, and to bringing the many benefits of unionizing to employees in diverse work settings. We will work with you to form a new union, to affiliate with an existing organization, or to grow your union by adding new workplaces. We can guide you through the process – whether at the DLR, the NLRB, or otherwise – from investigation to hearing to appeal.

EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION

We represent employees who have been the victims of employment discrimination because of their race, gender, national origin, military service, disability, age, or sexual orientation, and all other classifications protected by law. Our attorneys have litigated cases on behalf of employees at the MCAD, the EEOC, and in the state and federal courts.

REPRESENTING INJURED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

We represent public employees and their spouses as they navigate the complicated process of obtaining accidental disability or death benefits. From filling out the initial application, to obtaining a physician’s statement, to hearings and appeals before the Contributory Retirement Appeal Board, our experienced attorneys will provide the legal support you need to win.

STATE CERTIFICATION

We represent employees in navigating the complex processes involving their Massachusetts state certifications. We have successfully represented teachers before the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and police officers in front of the new POST Commission.

WHY SANDULLI GRACE?

In the public sector, we represent police officers, firefighters, public school teachers, municipal employees, emergency medical technicians, parole officers and environmental police among others. Our clients work for cities and towns, counties, the Commonwealth, and the MBTA. We also represent a wide range of private sector unions, including radio and television broadcast technicians, Raytheon production and maintenance security employees, racetrack workers, university police, operating engineers, telephone workers, maintenance workers, and security officers in the federal courts. In addition, we represent individual employees in all aspects of employment law.

For almost 50 years, the lawyers at Sandulli Grace have been providing the highest level of legal representation to the New England labor community. By concentrating on union-side labor law, we are experts in our field and champions of the labor movement.

On April 1, 1977, Joseph G. Sandulli opened his own law practice on Mt. Vernon Street in Boston, creating the firm that would become Sandulli Grace, P.C. Just two years later, in 1979, Joe was instrumental in the birth of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (MassCOP), then an organization of just five local police unions, which has since grown to become the largest law enforcement union in Massachusetts, with over 5,000 members with locals in over 180 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. Joe Sandulli was truly a pioneer in public sector union-side labor law.

With Kenneth A. Grace joining in 1982, the firm continued to grow – both in lawyers and areas of practice. In 1992, the firm began working as outside counsel for the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association (MTA), the state’s largest education union, with membership exceeding 100,000 educators, administrators, and support staff.

Recently, the firm continued to expand, joining forces with veteran labor Attorney Wendy Bittner, who became Of Counsel to the firm in 2022, bringing with her considerable expertise and her broad-based practice of private and public sector labor union clients.

The 10 lawyers at Sandulli Grace also take an active role in the labor community, sponsoring educational seminars, teaching at the Boston Labor Guild and Suffolk University School of Law, publishing articles in union newsletters as well as in our own blog, and, nearly every year since 1995, hosting our own annual ‘May Day’ celebration to show appreciation and thanks to all in the labor law community.

Since its inception, Sandulli Grace has earned a reputation for excellence in the legal community. Through aggressive and expert representation as labor advocates, always refining our existing skills and adapting and expanding into new areas, our attorneys are proud to have distinguished Sandulli Grace on behalf of our union and employee clients.
We pride ourselves not just in fierce advocacy for our clients, but also in our commitment to the labor movement and the social justice values it embodies.

We are proud to represent labor unions and their members in a wide variety of public and private employment settings. Our Union clients include:

Massachusetts Coalition of Police
Massachusetts Teachers Association
IAFF/PFFM locals, including Acton, Avon, Brookline, Blackstone, Brewster, Chatham, Clinton, Duxbury, Gloucester, Holden, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Maynard, Natick, Northbridge, Orleans, Shrewsbury, and Sudbury
IBEW locals 103, 104, 717, 1228, 2321, 2222, 2324, 2325, and System Council T-6
Utility Workers locals 317, 318, 322, 329, 330, and B340
RWDSU locals 60, 224, 566, and Joint Board
Brockton Police Supervisors Union
Beverly Municipal Employees Association
Norwood Professional Employees Union
Andover Independent Employees Association
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 877
Area Trades Council
Court Security Officers Association
Raytheon Guards Association
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Campus Police Unit
Chatham Municipal Employees Association
New Bedford Police Union
Barnstable Municipal Employee Association

At Sandulli Grace we are more than just attorneys; we are part of the labor movement and committed to improving the lives of working people.

Our attorneys teach classes at The Labor Guild to help educate union leaders and members. We are strong supporters of the valuable work of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. Our attorneys are active in the Labor and Employment Sections of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

We are also active members of our communities. In 2014, we have been awarded the City of Boston’s Most Bike Friendly Business from the mayor’s office. Our office also received a Silver designation from the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Business program.