Steven M. Bernstein

Partner

Tampa Office

(813) 769-7513 phone
(813) 769-7501 fax
(813) 777-3081 cell

sbernstein@laborlawyers.com




Education

  • University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, FL
    J.D. 1990, with honors
  • Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Ithaca, NY
    B.S. 1987

Steve Bernstein is a partner in the Tampa office. He also serves as a Chair of the firm’s Associate Development and Retention Committee. Steve maintains a traditional labor practice in which he represents employers throughout the United States in both state and federal courts, as well as before the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other state and federal agencies. In the process, Steve has played a primary role in advising clients on union-related matters. Steve has also acquired a sophisticated level of experience with regard to advising clients on compliance with the WARN Act, USERRA, the FMLA, and the ADA. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to the implementation of preventive employee relations programs that include supervisory training as well as the development and administration of effective human resources policies and practices. Previously, Steve worked for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and with the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Labor Committee.

Representative Work

Federal Judge Denies NLRB Petition for Section 10(j) Relief Against Dealership

Bar Admissions

  • Florida
  • Georgia

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Georgia Supreme Court
Georgia Court of Appeals

Professional Activities

Secretary-Treasurer, Academy of Florida Management Attorneys
Co-Chair to the Labor & Employment Section of the Hillsborough Bar Association
Member, ABA Committee on Federal Labor Standards Legislation, Subcommittee on USERRA.
Member, Propeller Club – Port of Tampa
Member, Suncoast Automotive Accountants Association
Chief Editor, Florida Employment Law Manual

Recognition

Named Outstanding Labor and Employment Law School Student by the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Florida Bar
Listed by the Labor Relations Institute (LRI) as one of the "Top 100 Labor Attorneys" in the U.S. since 2006
"AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Listed in Chambers' USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2011
Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 and Florida Super Lawyers 2012

News/Media

Labor Organizing Changes Should Trigger Internal Policy Review
March 28, 2012

Latest NMB Rulemaking — Shape Of Things To Come?
November 18, 2009

Containing Your Workers' Compensation Costs: Construction Workers' Compensation
July 24, 2007

"State Efforts to Reduce Unfunded Liability by Limiting Collective Bargaining – The Shape of Things to Come?"
Aspatore Special Report, The Impact of Limiting Collective Bargaining Rights, An In-Depth Look at the Pros and Cons of State Efforts to Restrict Collective Bargaining Rights
2011

"The NLRB's Boeing Dreamliner Complaint: A Tangled Web of Legal and Political Controversy"
The Air & Space Lawyer - Volume 21, Number 2
2011

Quotes and Soundbites

Five Questions To Ask Before Axing Workers For Facebook Posts
April 29, 2013

Right To Work Law Could Put Michigan Back On The Business Map
December 11, 2012

Social Media Changing The Rules Of Workplace
November 30, 2012

Beware Nonunion Employers: NLRB May Knock At Your Door
November 12, 2012

5 Tips For A Social Media Policy That Won't Rile The NLRB
October 22, 2012

The NLRB Flexes its Muscles
August 1, 2012

Caution Urged For Criminal Checks In Hiring
May 4, 2012

Misclassification a Hot Topic As Economy Sputters, Law Changes
December 2, 2011

Newsletter Articles

Reintegrating Your Workplace Warriors
February 1, 2013

Responding To The (New) NLRB
April 2, 2012

Political Drama In New Hampshire
June 1, 2011

Summer's Here And Dress Codes Are Feeling The Heat
June 1, 2010

PDA After Hours
December 1, 2009

With Or Without EFCA, Labor Reform Is Coming
November 1, 2009

Presentations

Update on the Obama Board's Decisions and What to Expect
May 6, 2013

Co-Chair – South Florida’s Premier Labor & Employment Conference – The Seminar Group -  Ft. Lauderdale, FL - September 20-21, 2012 

“Update on Recent NLRB Developments – National Association of Professional Employer Organizations -Washington, D.C. - May 22, 2012 

“Dealing with the Latest Developments at the NLRB - Webinar - Associated Builders & Contractors, Florida East Coast Chapter -  April 19, 2012 

“Winning Unemployment Compensation Cases” –Florida Beer Wholesalers Association - Orlando, FL - April 18, 2012 

“New Regulatory Developments Impacting Union Organizing, Social Media and Background Checks” –  National Association of Convenience Stores H.R. Forum - Orlando, FL - March 6, 2012 

“What Every Employer Needs to Know About the NLRB “ – Association of Corporate Counsel, Orlando Chapter- Orlando, FL - February 16, 2012 

“Keeping Your Company One Step Ahead with HR Regulations” -  National Association of Convenience Stores Annual Meeting - Chicago, IL - October 1, 2011 

“Implementing a Strategy to Maintain an Independent Workforce” – Inside Counsel 3rd Annual Labor Symposium - Chicago, IL - October 5, 2011

Co-Chair - South Florida's Premier Labor & Employment Conference – The Seminar Group -   Miami, FL - September 21-22, 2011

“Containing the Cost of Workers' Compensation” - HR Florida - August 28, 2011

“FLSA Overtime Exemption for Service Writers: Fact vs. Fiction” – Suncoast Automotive Accountants Association - Tampa, FL - May 23, 2011

“A Proactive Strategy for Lawful But Effective Discipline and Discharge” – Association of Legal Administrators - Tampa, FL - May 11, 2011

“Legislative Update, Unions and the New NLRB”  –  National Association of Convenience Stores H.R. Forum - Atlanta, GA - March 8, 2011

Community

Member of Executive Committee and Legal Counsel for Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Co-Chair of the Development Committee for The University of Tampa Board of Fellows
Vice-Chair of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

Education

  • University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, FL
    J.D. 1990, with honors
  • Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Ithaca, NY
    B.S. 1987

Bar Admissions

  • Florida
  • Georgia