| Biography:
Wanda L. Ellert, Senior Counsel in Proskauer Rose LLP's Labor and Employment Law Department, is located in the Firm's New Jersey office. She has practiced labor and employment law for over 20 years. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and her undergraduate degree from Indiana University.
Wanda has represented management in all facets of labor and equal employment opportunity law. She has litigated employment lawsuits in state and federal courts based on race, sex, age, national origin, disability and religious discrimination; sexual, national origin and age harassment; whistleblower retaliation; family and medical leave laws; employment contracts; wrongful discharge; wage and hour laws; plant closing laws; covenants not to compete; benefit contributions; privacy claims; drug-testing; union duty of fair representation and contract violations; and enforcement and vacation of arbitration awards. Her experience includes class actions, as well as individual claims. She has also handled federal and state hearings and investigations of complaints concerning employment discrimination, workers compensation discrimination, child labor laws, wage and hour laws, and family and medical leave laws.
Wanda has represented employers in administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board on such matters as unfair labor practice charges, representation petitions, unit clarification and secondary boycotts. She has also handled arbitrations with respect to discharge and other disciplinary grievances, failure to promote, and contract interpretation.
Wanda also counsels employers with respect to a wide range of employment issues, including discharge, discipline and other personnel problems; sexual harassment investigations; family and medical leave issues; employment agreements; separation agreements; reductions-in-force; contract administration; plant relocations or closings; labor issues in acquisitions; independent contractor status; drug-testing; alternative dispute resolution programs; and protective review and revision of handbooks, leave policies, harassment policies, employment applications, and other personnel materials.
Wanda has conducted seminars for professional groups on such topics as state and federal equal employment opportunity law, sexual harassment, disability accommodation, preparing a case under investigation by a discrimination agency, comparable worth, and employee protections under the National Labor Relations Act. She has co-authored articles on such subjects as investigating sexual harassment complaints, compelling arbitration of discrimination claims, the requirements for a valid release of employment claims, and labor law developments in the health care field. She also wrote the New Jersey section of a treatise on independent contractor law.
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