Chris Mason is a Shareholder in the Firm’s Scottsdale office and a member of the Labor & Employment practice group. Mr. Mason counsels employers and management on all aspects of labor and employment law, including collective bargaining and union organizing; restrictive covenants; employment discrimination; sexual harassment; whistleblowing; retaliation; wrongful termination; wage and hour compliance; personnel policies; reductions in force; trade secrets; duty of loyalty; drug and alcohol testing; and other state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

He is also an experienced litigator, representing clients in Arizona, federal, and appellate courts, as well as before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Arizona Civil Rights Division, and the Department of Economic Security.

Chris Mason has extensive experience representing and advising employers in traditional labor matters, including in responding to:

• Union organizing campaigns
• Coordinating employer handling of union election (RC) petitions and processes
• Responding to strikes, picketing, and walk-outs
• Collective bargaining planning, negotiation, and agreement drafting
• Strategizing organizational development and planning to address union jurisdiction and union versus non-union (“double-breasted”) operations
•  Handling grievances and arbitrating labor disputes
• Litigating unfair labor practice (ULP) charges and other matters before the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of employers.

He has offered this type of support on behalf of employers in countless industries, spanning construction, mining, grocery, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, security services, ambulance, and medical support, among others, in numerous states across the country. Some of these states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Awards and Honors

• The Best Lawyers in America©, Employment Law – Management and Litigation (2020 – 2025)
• Southwest Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2012)

Professional Involvement

• General Counsel, Board of Directors, Arizona Industry Liaison Group (AZilg)

Bar Admissions

• Arizona

Significant Accomplishments
<ul><li>After aggressive litigation, convinced a claimant and her counsel to voluntarily dismiss her claims of alleged discriminatory termination, without any payment to her.</li><li>Defended client against claim of unfair labor practice termination.</li><li>Defended client against a class action claim alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.</li><li>Secured ruling from federal district court authorizing taking of depositions of the state’s attorneys and ruling that the attorney-client privilege did not apply to their involvement in the investigation of the underlying claims of discrimination. This prompted a quick resolution by the state.</li><li>Advised client of legal issues concerning transition of workforce in connection with the sale of an operation valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and assisted in preparing sales contract terms concerning the workforce.</li><li>Act in connection with criminal employment background checks and secured a settlement for a nominal amount for the client’s benefit.</li><li>Assisted client in preparing for collective bargaining negotiations, including preparation of facility and handling of possible strike contingency planning, and assisted in the crafting of new collective bargaining provisions.</li><li>Assisted client with the handling of a delicate separation of a key executive and prepared a comprehensive severance agreement with a release and waiver of all potential claims.</li></ul>

• National Labor Relations Board Publishes Final Rule Significantly Expanding Definition of Joint Employer
• Misperception of Ownership: Who Really Owns a Business’ Social Media Accounts?
• Who Owns a Company’s Social Media Accounts?
• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
• President Biden Targets Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Discrimination Through Executive Order
• Legal challenges employers should expect in wake of COVID-19
• Workplace Weed: Now that recreational marijuana is legal in Arizona, users should know their reefer rights while on the job
• The Coming Storm: Employer Challenges in the COVID-19 Wake
• Arizona’s Minimum Wage Increases in the New Year: What Employers Should Know
• Recreational Marijuana Passes in Arizona – Should Employers Be Concerned?
• The Small Business Exemption for the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the FMLA Expansion Act
• Notable Differences Between The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act And The FMLA Expansion Act
• The U.S. Department of Labor Provides Added Guidance for Application of the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act
• The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Expands FMLA Rights and Provides for Paid Sick Leave
• Silence is Golden – NLRB Affirms Employer Restrictions on Employee Discussions with Media
• Minimum Wage and Tip-Pooling
• What Arizona employers need to know about immigration verification
• Legal Tips to Reduce the Risk of Harassment in the Workplace
• Employment law tips for lawful tipping in Arizona
• #ArizonaRestaurantWeek Labor and Employment Law Series – Restaurant Employers: Protected Leave Rights (Blog 5 of 5)
• #ArizonaRestaurantWeek Labor and Employment Law Series – Restaurant Employers: Wage and Hour Laws (Blog 4 of 5)
• #ArizonaRestaurantWeek Labor and Employment Law Series – Restaurant Employers: Anti-Harassement (Blog 3 of 5)
• #ArizonaRestaurantWeek Labor and Employment Law Series – Restaurant Employers: Immigration Law Compliance (Blog 2 of 5)
• #ArizonaRestaurantWeek Labor and Employment Law Series – Restaurant Employers: Employee Tipping (Blog 1 of 5)
• To Withhold or not Withhold – the Risk of Wage Withholdings
• E-Verify Now With Possible Second Shutdown Looming
• Proposed Overtime Rule Will Not Go Into Effect December 1, 2016
• Is Your Business Ready for the New Minimum Wage Increase?
• Master-Crafting Your Employee Handbook
• Doubling Down on Employee Salaries: The U.S. Department of Labor More Than Doubles the Mandatory Minimum Salary Requirement for Most Exempt Employees
• Implementing Effective Sexual Harassment Policies in the Workplace
• DOL’s Wage and Hour Division Refines Joint Employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act