SAN FRANCISCO — The newest member of the California Chamber of Commerce's board of directors has pledged to make working against legislation that adversely affects the labor market one of the primary goals of his term.
Charles Birenbaum of the San Francisco office of Greenberg Traurig LLP recently was elected to the board, according to a news release. His term began Jan. 1.
“My interest in CalChamber has been long-standing, and as a practicing labor and employment lawyer, representing management, I have tracked CalChamber positions and activities for many years,” he told the Northern California Record. “A number of my clients are members of the organization.”
Birenbaum, his firm's chair for Northern California, has devoted his career to becoming a labor and employment attorney, while specializing in the practice of traditional labor and employment law, according to his profile page at www.gtlaw.com. And over the years, he has developed a diverse background litigating in state and federal courts and in a wide-range of administrative agencies. During his tenure, according to his profile page, he has shared his expertise on proposed legislation that has had the potential to affect entire industries with legislative committees. He also has worked and negotiated with labor organizations, politicians, regulators and industry leaders to resolve numerous challenging issues for his clients in the health care, energy, construction and other industries.
Over the course of his career, Birenbaum has been honored by numerous organizations for his labor and employment practice, according to his profile page at www.gtlaw.com. This includes honors from the Chambers USA Guide, which celebrated him for his work in labor and employment law; Human Resources Executive, which praised him as one of the nation’s top 100 most powerful labor attorneys; and The Daily Journal, which singled him out as one of California’s top 75 labor attorneys.
His credentials include a history of working on a diverse list of employment-related cases such as “race-harassment class actions, noncompetition trials, unfair labor practice hearings before the National Labor Relations Board, and multiple arbitrations.” Birenbaum also has a background of work in the appellate world that features decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit under the National Labor Relations Act, Labor Management Relations Act, and the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act.
As one of the newest members of CalChamber board, Birenbaum said he expects to work with other board members and the CalChamber administration to help direct and guide the organization through the general oversight offered by the board.
“I expect my term to be an interesting one for a number of reasons,” he said. “As the main state organization representing business interests before the state legislature, governor’s office and other state agencies, the CalChamber will be developing positions on a range of important matters, including reactions to the impact the Trump administration will have on California.”
Birenbaum also said that he plans to use his time on the board of directors “to spot job-killer legislative proposals and oppose those bills.”