Carl C. Bosland, Esq.

Carl C. Bosland, Esq., is a labor and employment arbitrator, hearing officer, factfinder, and mediator in private practice from San Diego, California. A member of the National Academy of Arbitrators, Carl serves on federal, public, and private sector arbitration panels and rosters throughout the United States. He is a frequent speaker on labor arbitration advocacy such as National Academy of Arbitrator conferences. Mr. Bosland is the author of Labor Arbitration Practice for the Federal Sector, A Federal Sector Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act & Related Litigation, Fourth Edition, and FMLA Basics: A Federal Supervisor’s Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act, Second Edition, all by Dewey Publications. Retired from the United States Postal Service, Carl served in various positions, including Chief Counsel, Labor Relations, Chief Counsel, Employment Law, Chief Counsel, Safety, Chief Counsel, National Employment Litigation Unit, and Managing Counsel of the Capital Metro Area Law Office. Mr. Bosland is the former DC Chapter President of the Society of Federal Labor & Employee Relations. He has a B.A. from Hobart College, a J.D. from Fordham University, and an LL.M. in Labor Law from New York University, where he was the recipient of the Seymour Goldstein Memorial Prize for Academic Excellence in Labor Relations.

Paul Chapdelaine

Paul earned a Bachelor of Science Business Degree from Northeastern Oklahoma State University and is an active member of the National Academy of Arbitrators.  He is also an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Air Force and holds a valid FAA A&P license.

After working in several management positions at American Airlines, Paul assumed the position of Labor Relations Representative at American’s aircraft overhaul facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he processed union grievances and represented the Company in arbitration.  He transferred to the position of Employee Relations Counsel on American’s headquarter staff in 1990 where he processed pilot grievances, represented the Company in arbitration, and participated in contract negotiations.

Following early retirement from American Airlines, Paul transitioned to the Union side as Director of Labor Relations with the newly formed Independent Association of Continental Pilots.  He promptly established a non-confrontational, problem-solving relationship with management which allowed him to quickly resolve the majority of outstanding pilot grievances and avoid many other grievances altogether.  Paul represented pilots in arbitration while also serving as the Union’s election administrator and office staff administrator.  After IACP merged with the Air Line Pilots’ Association in 2001, Paul worked at ALPA as a Senior Contract Administrator until he retired from ALPA in 2004.

After retiring from ALPA, Paul began his arbitrator practice and became a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators.  He is currently serving on the arbitrator rosters of AAA, FMCS and NMB.  He also serves on permanent arbitrator panels with the City of Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association, City of Houston Police Department/Houston Police Officers’ Union, Southwest Airlines/Transport Workers’ Union Dispatcher Panel, United Airlines/International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Mechanics), Federal Aviation Administration/Professional Association of Safety Specialists, Federal Aviation Administration/National Association of Government Employees, Federal Aviation Administration/Guaranteed Fair Treatment Panel, and U.S. Postal Service/American Postal Workers’ Union.

Patrick M. Flynn

BACKGROUND, EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

• Patrick M. Flynn was born in Miami, Florida
• University of Central Florida; Orlando, Florida; graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management
• South Texas College of Law Houston; Houston, Texas; graduated with honors
• National Labor Relations Board, Field Attorney, 1977 to 1980
• 1980 to present, private law practice (Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law since 1982)
• Arbitrator, AAA Employment Dispute Resolution Roster

PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES

• Past-Chairman, Houston Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
• Past Chairman, Labor and Employment Law Advisory Commission, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• Past Chairman, State Bar of Texas, Labor and Employment Law Section
• Past Member, AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee Advisory Board
• Past-Labor Co-Chair, ABA/Regional EEOC Liaison Program
• Past-President, Greater Houston Chapter, Labor & Employment Relations Association (formerly IRRA)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Fellow, The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc.
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation, Texas Bar Foundation, and Houston Bar Foundation
• Member, American Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Law Section
• Member, State Bar College
• Member, Houston Bar Association and its Labor and Employment Law Section
• Member, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
• Member, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
• Member, Lawyer Pilot’s Bar Association
• Member, IATS Bar Association (formerly NTSB Bar Association)

PRESENTATIONS

• State Bar of Texas and Houston Bar CLE Programs
• South Texas College of Law Houston
• Society for Human Resource Management
• University of Texas School of Law
• University of Texas School of Public Health
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
• Greater Houston Chapter of Labor and Employment Relations Association and IRRA
• Texas AFL-CIO
• National Academy of Arbitrators
• Houston Chapter, NELA

COURT ADMISSIONS

• U. S. Supreme Court
• U. S Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, and D. C. Circuits
• U. S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of Texas
• State Bar of Texas
• Florida Bar

A. John Harper III

A. John Harper III represents employers in all aspects of labor relations, including:

• Organizing drives
• Collective bargaining
• Interpretation and application of labor agreements
• Grievance and arbitration proceedings

John also assists clients in transactions involving unionized facilities and with respect to the labor aspects of bankruptcy proceedings.

In addition to his labor relations practice, John assists clients in all aspects of employment law, including defending employers against claims under various federal and state anti-discrimination and retaliation laws and advising employers regarding compliance with federal, state and local labor and employment laws. He also represents employers in cases involving unfair competition and denial of Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) benefits.

I.B. (Beber) Helburn

After earning a BS degree in Psychology (1960) and MS (1962) and Ph.D. (1966) degrees in Industrial Relations, all from the University of Wisconsin, I. B. (Beber) Helburn fulfilled his ROTC commitment with two years of active duty in the army.  In January 1969 Beber joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, School of Business as an Assistant Professor.  During his time as a faculty member, Beber rose to the rank of Full Professor and held the Bobbie and Coulter R. Sublett Centennial Professorship.  Among the courses Beber taught were Collective Bargaining, Labor History, Arbitration, Human Resources Management and a generic negotiations course.  In August 1997 Beber retired as an Emeritus Professor of Management in order to pursue a second career as a full-time labor arbitrator and mediator.

Beber had issued his first labor arbitration award in May 1970 and to date has been involved in over 1,600 arbitration awards.  He has heard cases in the private sector, the local government sector (public safety) and the federal sector.  Private sector industries in which he has arbitrated include petrochemicals, paper products, telecommunications, airlines, railroad and major league baseball.  Before resigning as part of an effort to reduce his workload, Beber was a member of the IRS/NTEU Southwest Area arbitration panel for over 25 years and served for a time on the IRS/NTEU Southeast Area arbitration panel as well.  In addition, Beber served on the CBP/NTEU Southwest Area arbitration panel for over 15 years.  He has heard additional federal sector cases via FMCS ad hoc appointments, with these cases often involving Defense Department employees represented by the AFGE.

Beber has been on the FMCS and AAA arbitration rosters and remains on the NMB arbitration roster for railroads and airlines.  He was admitted to the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA) in May 1980 and has been a member of the Board of Governors and a Vice President, as well as serving on many committees.  He continues his active NAA involvement at the national and regional levels.

William L. McKee

Bill McKee is an arbitrator and Professor Emeritus of Applied Economics at the University of North Texas. He recently completed his second term on the National Academy of Arbitrators’ Board of Directors and his second year as Vice-President while also serving on the NAA’s Executive Committee.

After completing graduate studies in economics, McKee received a post-doctoral appointment at the Brookings Institution. In 1978 he joined the faculty at the University of North Texas. He is a founding member of the Texas Labor-Management Conference and the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. Before his retirement from UNT, he served as Professor of Applied Economics, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Academic Integrity Officer, Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA, and chair of his department. He founded the Masters Program in Labor and Industrial Relations, Interdisciplinary Minor in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Denton County Dispute Resolution System, and the Academic Integrity Office, which he served as the first Academic Integrity Officer.

A labor and employment arbitrator on panels of the AAA, FMCS, and U.S. Olympics, he has arbitrated/mediated disputes in virtually all industries and sectors of the US economy on a wide range of issues. His arbitration experience includes law enforcement cases and several complex cases in the airlines industry involving contract amendment, interest, scheduling, and subcontracting disputes. McKee also arbitrated a large, complex international construction dispute for the AAA International Centre for Dispute Resolution as the single arbitrator. He has been appointed as a panel arbitrator by several employers and unions.

He was selected as the Faculty Athletic Representative of the Year by the All-American Football Foundation in 2003 and was elected to the Texas Labor Management Conference Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sidney Moreland, Arbitrator

Sidney Moreland, IV began arbitrating labor disputes in 1989 as the youngest arbitrator on the FMCS Roster. He has arbitrated over 3,000 labor and employment matters under the National Labor Relations Act, the Federal Labor Relations Act, and the Railway Labor Act. He has also written several interest arbitration awards.

He is also active on the rosters of the American Arbitration Association, National Mediation Board, JAMS, and serves on numerous permanent arbitration panels including the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association.

Moreland received two undergraduate degrees from Louisiana Tech University and his Juris Doctor with honors from the Southern Law Center. He was also awarded the American Jurisprudence Award recognizing his achievement in the study of evidence.

He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and performs pro bono legal work and education services in his spare time. He can be reached at ArbitratorMoreland@icloud.com

Debra Simmons Neveu

Debra Simmons Neveu is a full-time labor and employment arbitrator and mediator. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Debra is listed on the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Mediation Board, and the American Arbitration Association Employment and Labor arbitration rosters and she is a member of several permanent panels.

Debra is a former General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs of Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana and Senior Counsel for the Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has served as a Commissioner on the New Orleans Civil Service Commission.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Debra has lived in New Orleans. Louisiana more than 35 years. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science. She also received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School and an LL.M. from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Diego J. Peña

Diego J. Peña is a full-time arbitrator and mediator.  A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas School of Law, Mr. Peña personally litigated more than 50 cases in state and federal courts during his legal career.  From 1989 to 2019, Mr. Peña represented Southwestern Bell Telephone Company/AT&T Communications in all manner of labor relations matters, including labor arbitrations, collective bargaining and grievance resolution.  He personally tried more than 85 labor arbitrations and managed outside counsel on approximately 300 labor arbitrations.

After retiring from SWBT/AT&T in 2019, Mr. Peña transitioned from serving as an advocate to serving as a neutral.  He currently serves as an arbitrator on the FMCS, AAA and NMB labor panels and as an Independent Hearing Examiner for the Texas Education Agency.  He has arbitrated labor disputes in Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.  He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer, having presented arbitration advocacy programs for attorneys, the Texas Labor Management Conference, Texas A&M and Creighton University Law Schools.

Diego J. Peña is a full-time arbitrator and mediator.  A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas School of Law, Mr. Peña personally litigated more than 50 cases in state and federal courts during his legal career.  From 1989 to 2019, Mr. Peña represented Southwestern Bell Telephone Company/AT&T Communications in all manner of labor relations matters, including labor arbitrations, collective bargaining and grievance resolution.  He personally tried more than 85 labor arbitrations and managed outside counsel on approximately 300 labor arbitrations. After retiring from SWBT/AT&T in 2019, Mr. Peña transitioned from serving as an advocate to serving as a neutral.  He currently serves as an arbitrator on the FMCS, AAA and NMB labor panels and as an Independent Hearing Examiner for the Texas Education Agency.  He has arbitrated labor disputes in Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.  He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer, having presented arbitration advocacy programs for attorneys, the Texas Labor Management Conference, Texas A&M and Creighton University Law Schools.

 

 

Susan L. Stewart 

Susan is a labour arbitrator and mediator from Toronto, Ontario. Sheis a graduate of Queen’s University, Arts, 1976 and Law, 1979. Susan was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1981. She practiced law between 1981 and 1985 and commenced her dispute resolution practice in 1986, as a Vice Chair of the predecessor tribunal to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. Susan then developed a labour arbitration practice. She was appointed as a Vice Chair of the Ontario Grievance Settlement Board in 1989 and, in 2001, was appointed as its part-time Chair. Susan served the Grievance Settlement Board as Chair until March 14, 2021.

Susan’s practice encompasses all sectors in both Provincial and Federal jurisdictions. She has served as Chair of the Labour/Management section of the Ontario Bar Association and as an executive member of the Ontario Labour Management Arbitrators’ Association. Susan is currently President of the Ontario Labour Management Arbitrators’ Association. She is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and serves on the Advisory Committee for the Queen’s University Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace.

Susan is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and has served on its Board of Governors. As well, she has been a Vice President of the Academy and a member of the Board’s Executive Committee. Susan also served as Chair of the Academy’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Grievances. She assumed the position of President of the Academy on May 15, 2021.

Susan is an avid traveler, runner and cyclist. She is the founder of an arbitrator charitable fundraiser cycling group, “The Shifty Neutrals”. Susan is currently engaged in training to become a professional fromager.

Maretta Comfort Toedt, Arbitrator
(last name is pronounced “Tate”)

Maretta has been arbitrating and mediating for over 25 years. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA), has served on the Academy’s Board of Governors, and was recently elected as an Academy Vice President. She was Chair of the NAA’s Southwest / Rockies Region from 2011-2013.

She has served as the co-secretary/treasurer for the Houston Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) and two terms as past chapter president.

Prior to her career in dispute resolution, Maretta practiced labor and employment law at Vinson & Elkins and at Tenneco and Gulf Oil Corporation. Maretta is also Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in labor and employment law.

Louise B. Wolitz, Arbitrator

The high point of my professional life was acceptance into the NAA in 2010. I graduated from the ILR School at Cornell in 1963 and went on to do graduate work in Labor Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, from which I received my Ph.D in Economics in 1974. I taught Economics at Hunter College, Fordham University, the University of Illinois, the University of Texas, San Antonio, and the University of Texas, Austin (1986-2008) while trying to launch an arbitration practice.  I’ve been on the American Arbitration Association Labor Panel since 1992 and the FMCS Labor Panel since 1996. I’ve served  on  United States Postal Service and National Association of Letter Carrier Panels in various regions since 1995. I’ve handled a wide range of issues in a wide range of industries, including federal, state and local government, oil and gas, utilities, energy, chemicals, bakery, health care, restaurant, and prison. I am now doing remote hearings and will resume doing in person hearings as it becomes safe to do so. I hope to continue arbitrating cases.