Celynda L. BrasherAttorneys from Tueth Keeney often contribute their time and talents on a voluntary basis to educate and inform their colleagues and members of the community. Tueth Keeney is proud of its commitment to advising and educating school administrators on the complex and ever-changing legal issues facing public schools. D. Shane Jones and Celynda Brasher, both shareholders of the firm, helped lead the Missouri School Board Association’s First Annual Labor Relations Boot Camp. The boot camp was an intensive, three-day, full-immersion workshop and networking opportunity for school administrators and board members involved in negotiations, needing practical professional development, or seeking an in-depth understanding of labor issues in public schools.
The boot camp took place on July 13 – 15, 2009 at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri. The program included in-depth instruction on the various methods of bargaining, discussion of the laws and terminology an experienced negotiator should know, interaction of bargaining agreements and school-specific laws such as tenure, and an examination of contract language, conflict management, supervised negotiation simulations, and issues district will encounter after the agreement.
Shane Jones led two sessions on July 13 – “Labor Laws, Terms, Concepts, and Court Rulings a Good Negotiator Needs to Know” and “After the Contract: Discipline, Grievance, Communications, and Contract Management Issues”. Celynda Brasher conducted a session on July 14 entitled “Making Good Contracts and Improving Them Practicum: Examining Contracts, Identifying Problems, and Drafting Changes”. For more information about the entire program, please visit the MSBA Labor Relations Boot Camp web page here: http://msbanet.org/law_policy/labor_relations/boot_camp/
Shane Jones practices in the areas of labor and employment law, education law, and litigation in both Missouri and Illinois. He routinely advises and represents employers in wage and hour matters, in the design and review of employee handbooks, and disciplining and terminating employees. Shane has also successfully defended employers against discrimination claims, First Amendment claims, Due Process claims, and other constitutional issues, in both state and federal courts. Shane also practices in the area of collective bargaining and labor relations. He is experienced in crafting proposals and counter-proposals, and in effectively presenting the employer’s position at the collective bargaining table. He has directly negotiated, or participated significantly behind the scenes, in the negotiation of more than fifty collective bargaining agreements under the National Labor Relations Act, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, and in the “meet and confer” process under the Missouri Public Sector Labor Law.
Shane is a Vice-Chair of the Missouri Bar Labor & Employment Law Committee, an author of the “Prevailing Wage” chapter in the most recent Missouri Employee-Employer Law Desk Book, and a co-author of the “Employment Law” chapter in the most recent Missouri Bar School Law Desk Book as well as its most recent supplement. Shane has been a Tueth Keeney shareholder since January, 2003.
Celynda L. Brasher is a founding Shareholder of Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt P.C. She practices in the areas of education, litigation and labor and employment law. Celynda represents numerous school districts throughout Missouri. She regularly advises boards of education and administrators on matters involving employee hiring, evaluation, remediation, and termination; student rights and discipline; special education; Section 504; school finance; civil rights; employment and business contracts; the Open Meetings Act; church/state issues; and other constitutional matters. Celynda also represents public, private, and non-profit employers in discrimination defense, collective bargaining, union organization, unemployment compensation, wage/hour compliance and terminations, as well as a variety of other employment law areas. Celynda has extensive litigation experience in federal and state courts and before federal and state administrative agencies.
Tueth Keeney attorneys have directly negotiated or participated extensively behind the scenes in the negotiation of more than 50 collective bargaining agreements for school districts and other employers. Our representation includes negotiating Agreements at the table directly with employee groups, as well as participating extensively behind the scenes to support school districts and other employers handling their own negotiations. Our willingness and ability to assist our clients as much, or as little, as they request is a hallmark of our firm’s sucessful and growing practice in collective bargaining.
The law firm of Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt P.C. has one of the largest and most successful education law groups in the country. The Firm regularly serves the legal counsel needs of approximately 150 school districts throughout Missouri. The Firm also has one of the largest school law practices in Central and Southern Illinois.