Professional Experience:
Ron Rutlin concentrates his diverse practice on management labor and employment law. He has negotiated hundreds of labor agreements for both private and public sector employers and has extensive experience representing employers in grievance arbitrations, union elections and decertifications, and unfair labor practice charges. He also regularly defends employers in discrimination cases filed with state and federal fair employment practice agencies, in addition to counseling employers on a broad range of employment law issues. Significant client representations include:

• Developed strategy and implemented plan to renegotiate labor agreements to achieve significant wage and benefit reductions with five different labor unions which permitted the company to return to profitability and saving over 180 jobs for the local community.
• Represented and counseled seller regarding union and plant closing/mass layoff issues involving sale of assets and subsequent representation of purchaser in negotiation of new labor agreements ultimately concluding with decertification of union.
• Renegotiated labor agreements for major health care provider as a condition precedent to acquisition of assets of unionized health care facility.
• Representation of large health care provider in successful decertification of union that had represented employees at the facility for over 30 years.
• Counseled large manufacturer on union issues related to termination of Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and creation of 401(k) plan as replacement retirement plan for employees.

Education:
B.S., University of Wisconsin - Madison (1969)
J.D., Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (1974)

Admitted to Practice:
Wisconsin Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Bar Associations:
American Bar Association

Section Member: Dispute Resolution; Labor and Employment Law

State Bar of Wisconsin

Section Member: Labor Law; Alternative Dispute; Senior Lawyers Division; Ethics Committee (1983 - 1986), Labor and Employment Law, Director (1995 - 1998)

Marathon County Bar Association

Professional Recognition:
Selected for Best Lawyers In America® ,

Labor and Employment Law (1995 - present)

Wisconsin Super Lawyer®, 2005, Labor and Employment Law
Recognized as Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in America® (2006) by

Labor Relations Institute, Inc.

Professional Activities:
Central Wisconsin Society For Human Resource Management

Member and Legal Counsel

Civic Activities:
First Presbyterian Church, Elder
Opportunities, Inc., Board Member (1996 -1999), Board President (2000)
University of Wisconsin - Madison Alumni Club of Wausau,

President (1981 - 1982), Secretary/Treasurer (1983 - 1990)

Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce,

State Legislative Committee, Chair (1981 - 1983)

Wausau Country Club, Director (1988 - 1990)
Wausau School District Foundation, Board Member (1999 - 2002)
Wausau Education Foundation Organization

Planning Committee, Chairman (1996 - 1999)

Presentations:

• "Case Law Legislative Update " 11/04/09
• "New and Pending Changes in Federal Laws" - 2/26/09
• "Employee Free Choice Act:  Its Potential Impact on Employers" - 02/11/09 and 01/08/09
• "Employee Handbooks: Dos and Don'ts" - 11/3/2006
• "Recent State & Federal Disability Discrimination Cases and their Impact on WI Employers" - 10/27/2006
• "Legal Techniques for Maintaining or Achieving Union Free Status" - 6/8/2006
• "Employment & Labor Law In WI: Top 10 Things All Business Owners/Executives Need To Know" - 5/2/2006 and 5/9/2006
• "Show Me The Money" - 2/24/2006
• "Legal and Policy Considerations in the Development or Updating of Employee Handbooks" - 4/21/2005
• "Everything You Want (Or Need) To Know About Legal Issues Related To Hiring New Employees" - 10/14/2005

Articles and Publications:

• U.S. Supreme Court Rules That a Two Member National Labor Relations Board Lacked Authority to Issue Decisions - 06/18/10
• "Potential Labor/Employment Law Changes in the New Political Environment" - 11/19/08
• "The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) - Will You Be Prepared?" - 11/11/08
• "Significant Expansion of ADA Being Considered By Congress" - 12/19/07
• "FMLA Leave May Be Held Against Employee " - 12/7/06
• "NLRB Issues Guidelines for Determining Who is a 'Supervisor'" - 10/10/06
• "New Department of Labor Military Leave Posting Requirement" - 3/24/05