Dykema

Robert A. Boonin

Member

Dykema
Michigan, U.S.A.

Local Time: Thu. 05:42

Robert A. Boonin, a member in Dykema's Detroit and Ann Arbor offices, concentrates his practice on labor and employment litigation. In addition, Mr. Boonin is experienced in public contract and education law. As a result, he has represented public and private sector clients across the country in over thirty jurisdictions. His public sector clients include universities, community colleges, K-12 school districts, charter schools as well as cities and townships.

Mr. Boonin has successfully represented clients in wrongful termination, employment discrimination, wage and hour, tenure proceedings and other employment-related lawsuits and claims. He has also represented employers in labor grievance arbitrations, labor negotiations, unfair labor practices and representational proceedings and labor strikes.

Clients quoted in Best Law Firms 2018 note that Mr. Boonin "serves as an extension of my business, with a thorough understanding of my legal needs and business objectives." He has been named a 2019 "Lawyer of the Year" in Detroit for Litigation - Labor and Employment by The Best Lawyers in America^©, recognized as one of the "Top 100 Lawyers in Michigan" and is a frequent lecturer to the American and Michigan Bar Associations, the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the Society of Human Resource Management, the American Society of Employers, trade associations and other groups on labor and employment law on topics such as handling a unionized workforce, wage and hour compliance, sexual harassment, and the ADA.

Education

University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1985, cum laude Michigan State University School of Labor and Industrial Relations, MLIR, 1980 The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, B.S., 1976

Areas of Practice

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®, Copyright 2013 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC, for Employment Law, 2010-2014
Recognized by Best Lawyers in America®, Copyright 2013 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC as "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation - Labor and Employment Law, 2012; and for Employment Law - Management, 2014
Named a leading Labor and Employment Lawyer by Chambers USA, 2010-Present
College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Fellow, 2008-Present
Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow, 2006-Present; President, 2007-2008
Recognized in Michigan Super Lawyers® for Labor and Employment Law, 2005-Present

Professional Associations

American Employment Law Council
Michigan Council of School Attorneys
Labor and Employment Relations Association
Washtenaw County Bar Association

Blogs

Articles

Michigan Legislature Amends State Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Acts
Dykema, December 2018

On December 4, 2018, the Michigan Legislature pared back the minimum wage and paid sick leave laws it passed last September in an effort to preclude those issues from being on the November ballot. Had the Legislature not adopted the language of the ballot initiatives legislation, the measures would have been on the November ballot and it would have needed a vote of three-fourths of each house to amend the law if adopted by the voters...

Michigan Legislature Adopts Minimum Wage Increases and Paid Sick Leave: Political Poker Is Alive and Well in Michigan
Dykema, September 2018

After various court battles, two ballot initiatives were set to be on the November ballot for voter consideration. If passed, one would have increased the state minimum wage and the other would have required employers to provide sick leave to employees. Under Michigan law, though, the Legislature is permitted the opportunity to foreclose the issues from appearing on the ballot by adopting those initiatives through legislation...

Clarity on Legality of Work Rules Under NLRA has Arrived!
Dykema, July 2018

Earlier this year, in an effort to clarify what types of employee handbook rules are lawful under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued new 1Guidance on the topic. Determining which rules are permissible and which may violate the NLRA has troubled both union and non-union employers in recent years due to the Obama-era NLRB’s tendency to find that standard handbook rules (e.g...