John Becker

A graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, Oberlin College, and Regis High School, John M. Becker has been a member of the Massachusetts bar since 1994. Before joining Sandulli Grace in 1996, he served as law clerk to Supreme Judicial Court Justice Neil L. Lynch. John, who was selected as a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, has spent his career practicing labor and employment law on behalf of unions and employees.  

John serves individual and union clients in both the private and public sectors, but he specializes in representing public employee unions, particularly unions representing teachers, firefighters, and police officers. He has helped clients negotiate collective bargaining agreements, arbitrate grievances, and pursue various matters in court and state agencies. He has also brought litigation to enforce employees’ rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act and other laws.

John has argued numerous cases in Massachusetts and federal appellate and trial courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the Supreme Judicial Court, and Massachusetts Appeals Court. Selected published decisions include: Alston v. Int’l Ass’n of Firefighters, Local 950, 998 F.3d 11 (1st Cir. 2021) (duty of fair representation); Benoit v. City of Boston, 477 Mass. 117 (2017) (workers’ compensation); Marshfield School Committee v. Marshfield Education Ass’n, 84 Mass. App. Ct. 743 (2014) (arbitration appeal); Sheriff of Suffolk County v. Jail Officers and Employees of Suffolk County, 465 Mass. 584 (2013) (arbitration appeal); City of Lynn v. Lynn Police Ass’n, 455 Mass. 590 (2010) (arbitration appeal); O’Hara v. Menino, 253 F. Supp. 2d 147 (D. Mass. 2003) (FLSA); Massachusetts Ass’n of Minority Law Enforcement Officers v. Abban, 434 Mass. 256 (2001) (civil service); and Vanderbilt v. Town of Chilmark, 174 F.R.D. 225 (D. Mass. 1997) (employment discrimination discovery).

Because John believes that providing his union clients with legal knowledge makes for a stronger labor movement, he has taught labor and employment law courses at the Boston Labor Guild and UMass Lowell’s Labor Extension program. He was a featured speaker at the LRIS Advanced Course in Police Discipline in Las Vegas in 2018 and 2019 and has spoken at the Legal Rights Seminar of the National Association of Police Organizations. John has also been involved in continuing education for attorneys.  He has spoken at the Mass. Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Annual Conference, the annual meeting of the New England Consortium of State Labor Relations Agencies; and numerous Mass. Bar Association and Boston Bar Association conferences and seminars. He is a past co-chair of the alternate dispute resolution subcommittee of the MBA’s Labor & Employment Section. His article, “The Role of Public Policy in Judicial Review of Massachusetts Public Sector Labor Arbitration Awards” was published in the March 2019 issue of the Massachusetts Law Review.

John and his wife Mary Christin live in Waltham. Mary, a licensed clinical social worker, is a care manager with LifeCare Advocates in Newton, MA. In addition to practicing law, John is a singer/songwriter who has performed as a solo artist and with various ensembles. He is also the author of the website Make Lists, Not War and has written a book entitled The Greatest Works of Art of All Time.