Practice Areas
Representation of Local and International Labor Unions
Our clients rely on an experienced team of lawyers to provide aggressive, yet cost-effective representation focused on federal and state court litigation. We also provide representation on organizing drives, negotiations, arbitrations, and before administrative agencies such as the NLRB. We have also supervised internal union officer elections. Daily legal advice to unions on a broad range of matters helps prevent unnecessary legal entanglements.
Civil Liberties/Civil Rights Litigation
The United States Constitution guarantees that people shall be free from certain unwarranted government intrusions. Among these fundamental civil rights are the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances (1st Amendment); the rights to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures (4th Amendment); cruel and unusual punishments (8th Amendment); the right to due process and the equal protection of the laws (14th Amendment); and the right to vote (15th, 19th & 24th Amendments). In addition, federal, state and/or local statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on a person’s race, sex, religion, age, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference.
Healey Block has worked to ensure civil rights and liberties for all, including cases involving:
Government misconduct – excessive force/police misconduct, deadly force, false arrest/illegal detention, racial profiling, illegal search & seizure, resisting arrest/assaulting an officer, jail neglect/abuse, “contempt of cop” cases;
First Amendment – the right to canvas, picket, demonstrate, leaflet, protest, engage in anonymous political speech and/or civil disobedience, report police or government misconduct without fear of retaliation; and
Due Process/Equal Protection – a public employee’s right to a hearing before or after termination or discipline, a public school student’s right to a hearing before or after suspension or expulsion, the rights of all to equal treatment by the government regardless of race, religion, gender, etc, and immigrant rights.
Election Protection – We work to ensure that all citizens have the right to vote.
Representative Cases:
- Whitfield v. Chartiers Valley School District, 707 F.Supp.2d 561 (W.D. Pa. 2010)
- Service Employees International Union, Local 3 v. Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, 446 F.3d 419 (3d Cir. 2006)
- People Against Police Violence v. City of Pittsburgh, 520 F.3d 226 (3d Cir. 2008)
Individual Employment Law
We also represent individual clients in the following types of cases:
- Race discrimination
- National origin discrimination
- Gender discrimination
- Pregnancy discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Religious discrimination
- Sexual harassment
- Wage and hour disputes
- Wage theft
- Health and pension benefits
- Retaliation
- Whistleblower
Representative Cases
Whitfield v. Chartiers Valley School District, 707 F.Supp.2d 561 (W.D. Pa. 2010)