Matthew J. Kelley

Matt has spent fifteen years developing a wide-ranging traditional labor practice, assisting both large and small employers (private and public sector). Matt has served as lead negotiator for more than sixty collective bargaining agreements, both in first contract and in successor contract situations. He has significant experience as lead counsel, assisting employers with union organizing campaigns in the entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing, service, warehouse/distribution, retail, and automotive sales industries. In recent years, this practice has expanded to include representing employers in arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, “hybrid” Section 301 claims in federal court, and additional appellate experience before the NLRB. Matt spent 2016 working as Director and Counsel for Labor Relations for a Fortune 500 Company, handling numerous contract negotiations for small and medium sized bargaining units, unfair labor practice charges, RC petitions, and arbitrations, primarily against the Teamsters.

Matt is also a highly regarded and innovative thinker in positive employee relations training issues. After years assisting clients with organizing campaigns, he has focused his training on understanding the complex role of personality, behavior, and communication skills to assess supervisor engagement in the workplace. Matt has written numerous articles and developed varied training programs for numerous employers. Matt fosters his passion for training and education through his teaching work. Matt teaches Advanced Labor Law and Labor Arbitration classes at the Indiana University – Maurer School of Law.

Matt also has a varied background in employment litigation, handling complex Title VII litigation as well as worker’s compensation disputes for clients ranging from large, multi-site healthcare providers to small franchisees in the food service industry.

Set out below are additional specific experiences:

• Prevailed at NLRB in case reversing the law and allowing employer, consistent with past practice, unilaterally to modify healthcare benefits during a hiatus between collective bargaining agreements, Raytheon Network Centric Sys., 365 NLRB No. 161 (Dec. 17, 2017).
• Obtained several favorable summary judgment opinions in hybrid 301 claims concerning wage increase disputes between UAW employees, union, and auto manufacturers.
• Prevailed in labor arbitrations over discharge of employees for violation of work rule, safety violations, and violence in the workplace, as well as in various contract interpretation claims related to leave time, management rights issues, and pension obligations.
• Won labor arbitration over the Company’s right to demote lead employees under the management rights clause.
• Assisted clients in construction and building trades dispute for multi-million dollar construction in Northwest Indiana, advising them on reserve gate, informational picketing, and sympathy strike issues.
• Successfully negotiated plant closure agreements for various clients in New Jersey, Indiana, and Missouri.
• Assisted and advised clients in successfully handling election petitions filed with the NLRB for companies in:
  • California (IAM, Teamsters)
  • Connecticut (Road Local Sprinkler Fitters)
  • Delaware (IUOE)
  • Florida (Nursing)
  • Indiana (Teamsters, USW, UFCW, Laborers)
  • Illinois (Teamsters)
  • Kansas (IAM)
  • Kentucky (UFCW, ISM)
  • Louisiana (USW)
  • New York (Teamsters, IBEW, IAM)
  • Ohio (Road Local Sprinkler Fitters, Teamsters, IAM, USW)
  • Oregon (IAM)
• Successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements for companies in:
  • California (Teamsters)
  • Indiana (Teamsters, UAW, UFCW, IBEW)
  • Illinois (Teamsters)
  • Kentucky (IAM, USW, UFCW)
  • Michigan (IBEW)
  • Minnesota (UFCW)
  • Missouri (Teamsters)
  • New Jersey (Teamsters)
  • Ohio (Teamsters)
  • Oklahoma (SMART)
  • Oregon (IAM)
  • Pennsylvania (Graphics Union, Teamsters, USW)
  • Rhode Island (Teamsters)

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law, 2008
• M.A., Indiana University – Bloomington, 2004
• B.A., summa cum laude, Towson University, 2001

Admission to Practice

• U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
• Indiana
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth and District of Columbia Circuits
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

• Indiana Bar Association
• Indianapolis Bar Association

• Labor Law Solutions – “Making Lemonade Out of Lemons! Using Collective Bargaining Agreements to Your Advantage” – Labor Law Solutions New Orleans – December 6, 2024
• Labor Law Solutions – “Ambush Election Update: A Year in Review” – New Orleans – December 5, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “The NLRB’s “Game-Changing” Agenda—One Year Later” – August 26, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “The NLRB’s ‘Game-Changing’ Agenda: Return to Ambush Elections and Radical New Procedures for Employee Unionization” – September 7, 2023
• Labor Law Solutions – “The New Frontier: Organizing in Non-Traditional Industries” – Nashville – December 8, 2022
• Labor Law Solutions – “Legal Ethics for Labor Professionals” – Las Vegas – December 2, 2021
• Labor Law Solutions – “Pardon the Interruption!—Labor Style” – Las Vegas – December 2, 2021
• Labor Law Solutions – “Campaigns and COVID-19: Can You Connect?” – December 2, 2020
• Labor Law Solutions – “Union Solicitation, Distribution, and Access to Company Property: What Can Employees, Off-Duty Employees, and Nonemployees Do, and Where Can They Do It?” – Nashville – December 5, 2019
• Labor Law Solutions – Foundation Series – “Unfair Labor Practice Charges and Litigation” – Nashville – December 4, 2019
• Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Management Blind Spots: Getting Accurate Information About Your Workforce” – New Orleans – November 16, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Managing A Workforce in 2020 – “Modern Psychology or Jedi Mind Tricks: Reevaluating How Supervisors Interact with Employees” – Milwaukee – October 30 – 31, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “What You See Is All There Is: Reevaluating How Supervisors Interact With Employees” – Las Vegas – May 2, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Can I Have 5 Minutes, Please?” – Carmel – March 21, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Labor Law Solutions Seminar – “They Found a Union Card in the Breakroom of the Topeka Facility. What Do We Do Now?” – Las Vegas – December 5, 2018
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Building Positive Employee Relations and Identifying Union Organizing Efforts ” – September 27, 2018
• Ogletree Deakins Not Your Father’s NLRB Seminar – “Have We Survived The Ambush?” – Las Vegas – December 7, 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “Are You Smarter Than A Labor Lawyer?” – Indianapolis – November 2, 2017
• 2016 Indiana Chamber of Commerce FMLA Seminar – “FMLA Update” – Indianapolis – January 21, 2016
• Third Thursdays with Ruthie Webcast – “Recent NLRB Decisions” – August 20, 2015
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Annual Safety Conference – “Knowing Workers’ Compensation is Not Enough! (ADA/FMLA/GINA/WC)” – Indianapolis – June 24, 2015
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Ambush Election Rules: Unionizing A Workforce Just Got Much Easier” – Indianapolis – March 25, 2015
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Annual Safety Conference – “Worker’s Compensation Issues” – Indianapolis – 2012
• Indianapolis Bar Association – “Social Media in Employment” – Indianapolis – 2012
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Annual Safety Conference – “FMLA and Leave Issues” – Indianapolis – 2011
• Society of Human Resource Professionals – Indiana Chapter – “Positive Employee Relations and Labor Law Update” – Indianapolis – 2011
• Blue River Society of Human Resource Managers – “From the Mollies to Norma Rae: Are Unions Making a Comeback?” – Indianapolis – June 16, 2010
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Safety Expo – “Worker’s Compensation: Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities” – Indianapolis – March 3, 2010
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce – Half Day Seminars – “FMLA, Workplace Harassment and ADA Updates” – Indianapolis – 2010 – 2013
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Annual Safety Conference – “Worker’s Compensation Issues” – Indianapolis – 2010, 2012

• September/October 2015 – The Employment Law Authority – “A Tale of Two Employers: The NLRB’s New Joint Employer Standard”
• 2010 – HR Specialist – “FMLA Compliance Guide”
• 2009 – ABA – “2009 Supplement to the Family and Medical Leave Act”

• July 29, 2024 – SHRM – “NLRB Makes It Harder for Employees to Choose to No Longer Be Represented by a Union”

• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Labor Law – Management (2024-2025)
• Indiana Super Lawyer Rising Star (2014 – 2016)