Employment Law - Management Labor Law - Management
Charles S. "Chuck" Birenbaum
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2007 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Charles S. Birenbaum serves as the firm’s Chair of Northern California. Chuck is an experienced labor and employment attorney who focuses his practice on traditional labor and employment law matters, and has wide-ranging experience litigating in state and federal courts as well as various administrative agencies. He has testified on proposed legislation impacting entire industries before state legislative committees, and has interfaced and negotiated with labor organizations, politicians, regulators, and industry leaders to resolve complex issues for his clients in the health care, energy, construction and other industries.
Chuck is an experienced trial lawyer, having tried race harassment class actions, noncompetition trials, unfair labor practice hearings before the national Labor Relations Board, and multiple arbitrations. His appellate work includes 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.
In the area of traditional labor law, Chuck has a broad array of experience in collective bargaining, union organizing and trust fund litigation for employers in the construction, energy, health care, manufacturing, and service industries. He has first chaired collective bargaining for all bargaining units at a health care system; first chaired collective bargaining over a bargaining unit of registered nurses at a dialysis provider; first chaired collective bargaining for construction agreements covering billions of dollars of heavy infrastructure development; and first chaired collective bargaining for a steel manufacturer and fabricator.
Chuck has been honored by numerous organizations for his labor and employment practice. In 2013 alone, Chambers USA listed him for his work in labor and employment law, Human Resources Executive® magazine named him one of the nation’s top 100 most powerful labor attorneys, and The Daily Journal singled him out as one of California’s top 75 labor attorneys.
Overview
- Georgetown University, J.D., graduated 1982
- Oberlin College, BA, graduated 1979
- California, The State Bar of California
- American Arbitration Association, Employment Law Panel - Arbitrator
- Bar Association of San Francisco - Member
- Georgetown University Law Center, National Law Alumni Board - Chair and Board Member
- Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco, 2014 - Board Member
- Oberlin College, President’s Advisory Council, 2011-Present - Member
- California, The State Bar of California
- American Arbitration Association, Employment Law Panel - Arbitrator
- Bar Association of San Francisco - Member
- Georgetown University Law Center, National Law Alumni Board - Chair and Board Member
- Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco, 2014 - Board Member
- Oberlin College, President’s Advisory Council, 2011-Present - Member
- Georgetown University, J.D., graduated 1982
- Oberlin College, BA, graduated 1979
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Employment Law - Management
- Labor Law - Management
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Trade Secrets Law
Special Focus:
- Employment
- Labor
- Management
Awards:
- Law360 "Employment Practice Group of the Year," 2013
- Super Lawyers magazine, Northern California Super Lawyer, 2004-2013
- The Daily Journal, "Top 75 Labor Attorneys in California," 2013
- Human Resources Executive® magazine, "Top 100 Most Powerful Labor Attorneys," 2013
- Chambers USA Guide, Labor & Employment Law, 2013
News & Media
Case History
Cases
- Areas of Concentration
- Labor and employment class actions
- Traditional labor law
- Appellate advocacy
- Employment law advice, counseling and training
- Unfair competition, restrictive covenants and trade secrets
- Significant Representations
- Acted as lead trial counsel for the defendants in Adams et al. v. Pinole Point Steel Company et al. (No. C-92-1962MHP, N.D.Cal. September 26, 2012). The Federal District Court for the Northern District of California’s Judge Marilyn Hall Patel rendered a defense judgment with a 66-page opinion for a group of steel companies in a race harassment class action certified by the court over 15 years ago. The court noted that the class certification was probably unwarranted based on the trial record and the class counsel did not appeal the judgment.°
- Represented an employer in a noncompetition trial in California Superior Court under Cal. B&P Code 17200 et seq.°
- Represented employers in multiple unfair labor practice hearings before the National Labor Relations Board.°
- Represented a sole-source community provider of health care by analyzing its work force and recommending work force restructuring to modernize its employment architecture and respond to the new PPACA legislation. This resulted in extensive collective bargaining over nurse, technical and service and maintenance workers and representation in all ensuring unfair labor practice litigation and arbitration. The employer was able to implement needed work force changes.°
- Part 2
- Represented a leading provider of on-board entertainment for a cruise and event company in a wage and hour class action in California, which included allegations of failure to pay overtime and expense reimbursement violations.°
- Represented a blood dialysis center in connection with unfair labor practices charges before the NLRB brought by UFCW Local 262 of New Jersey. Charges arose out of its attempt to become the exclusive collective bargaining representative of licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and other employees. The union alleged that the employer violated federal labor laws by terminating two and threatening other employees. Termination-related charges were dismissed and the union withdrew the remaining charges.°
- Represented the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in a class action alleging breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA. Won summary judgment on the pleadings that a plaintiff could not bring that type of action under Title I of ERISA.°
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