Overview
Chris Foster advises leading companies and families in labor and employment matters.
Chris represents companies navigating union organizing, election and decertification campaigns, as well as NLRB unfair labor practice investigations, trials and appeals. He provides strategic planning on the addition, merging and divesting of unionized operations.
Chris defends employers in arbitrations involving contract disputes and terminations, and against state and federal wage and hour, discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination claims.
Chris also focuses on advising individuals, families, closely-held businesses, private foundations and non-profits on employment issues, training, compliance and risk mitigation in hiring and separation of employees, non-disclosure and privacy agreements, development of employee handbooks and policies/procedures, and related claims and litigation.
Chris is an editor for the Developing Labor Law treatise and formerly served as a senior articles editor for the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law. During undergraduate, he studied economics and philosophy at the University of Oxford under a full, one-year scholarship from Santa Clara University.
Chris serves as head of the Firm’s traditional labor subgroup and is the San Francisco office hiring partner. Chris is also pro bono counsel for the San Francisco Zoo.
Click here to read Chris’ full biography in Japanese.
Results
- Lead counsel for media company in election matter where employees decided to reject union becoming their legal bargaining representative (2022)
- Lead counsel for technology company in election matter where employees decided to reject union becoming their legal bargaining representative in national election (2021)
- Represented media company in obtaining dismissal of NLRB unfair labor practice charges challenging return to office plans (2021)
- Lead counsel in collective bargaining negotiations for major national media company (2022)
- Lead counsel in collective bargaining negotiations for leading technology company (2022)
- Lead counsel for leading energy and utility company on labor matters (2019-2022)
- Lead counsel in three-day trial where an NLRB administrative law judge rejected a union’s objections and unfair labor practice charges challenging its loss in a decertification election
Dycora Transitional Health – Fresno, LLC, 2019 WL 995648, NLRB case no. 32-RD-213130 - Drafted briefing to the Ninth Circuit which affirmed a trial court’s dismissal of overtime class action claims against oil platform operator, based on federal labor law preemption
Carl Curtis v. Irwin Industries, Inc., et al., 913 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2019) - Lead counsel for underground construction company contesting California Labor Commissioner civil wage and penalty assessment for alleged apprenticeship and prevailing wage violations; successfully resolved matter for less than 2% of alleged wages and penalties
- Advised and represented client during union decertification process; on the eve of trial, the union disclaimed all interest in continuing to represent the employees
Dycora Transitional Health – Clovis, LLC, NLRB case no. 32-RD-213115 - Lead trial counsel for the San Francisco Zoo in two-day unfair labor practice trial before NLRB ALJ, achieving favorable resolution
- Lead counsel for major paper product manufacturer in labor arbitration where union alleged failure to pay premium hours back to 2002; complete victory in unpublished arbitration decision
Recognitions
- Legal 500 US, 2021 and 2023
- Daily Journal, Top Labor & Employment lawyer, 2023
Credentials
Education
University of California – Berkeley School of Law, JD, 2011
Santa Clara University, BS, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2008
Admissions
California
Idaho
Washington
Courts / Agencies
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
US District Court for the Northern District of California
US District Court for the Eastern District of California
US District Court for the Western District of Washington
US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
US District Court for the District of Idaho
