Your Labor Relations Department. Without the Overhead.

The operational infrastructure Fortune 500 companies use daily—now available fractionally.

Get the labor relations infrastructure you need at a price that makes sense.

The Fortune 500 Advantage You're Missing

When a Fortune 500 plant manager has a labor question, she doesn’t wing it. She doesn’t guess. She doesn’t try to Google the answer.

She calls her labor relations department.

They’re not attorneys. They’re labor relations professionals who handle the operational side of union management: contract interpretation, grievance responses, supervisor training, relationship building, negotiation strategy.

When something becomes legal—NLRB charges, arbitrations, litigation—the LR department coordinates with attorneys. But 95% of issues never get there.

Your company faces the same challenges as Fortune 500 companies:

Daily contract interpretation questions
Grievances that need proper investigation and response
Supervisors who need coaching on labor relations
Union relationships that require consistent management
Contract negotiations every few years

The difference? Fortune 500 companies have dedicated departments for this. You’re trying to cobble it together between HR, operations, and attorney calls.

That’s not a sustainable strategy. It’s a gap in your infrastructure.

What a Labor Relations Department Actually Does

WITHOUT LR DEPARTMENT

Fragmented, reactive approach:

HR generalist handles everything
Operations managers wing it
Call attorney for both legal AND operational questions
Inconsistent approach across sites
No institutional knowledge
Crisis-driven decision making

Result: Expensive, reactive, inconsistent

WITH LR DEPARTMENT

Strategic, proactive infrastructure:

Dedicated LR expertise handling operations
Consistent contract administration
Attorneys used for actual legal work
Coordinated strategy across all sites
Deep institutional knowledge
Prevention-focused approach

Result: Professional, proactive, cost-effective

The Infrastructure You Get With Fractional LR

Everything a Fortune 500 labor relations department provides:

Operational Expertise: Contract interpretation, grievance investigation and response, supervisor coaching, discipline strategy, union steward communication

Strategic Partnership: Contract negotiation preparation and representation, relationship building with union leadership, preventive strategy to avoid arbitrations

Attorney Coordination: Knows when something crosses from operational to legal, prepares all documentation and investigation before attorney engagement, ensures efficient use of attorney time and expertise

Institutional Knowledge: Tracks your contract history, knows your facility dynamics, maintains relationship continuity through personnel changes

Operational Excellence

Handle 95% of issues without legal intervention through proper contract administration and relationship management

Cost Predictability

Fixed monthly fee means you can budget for labor relations like any other infrastructure—no surprise bills

Experience and Depth

Numerous specialists with decades of combined experience—not dependent on one person who can leave

Better Attorney ROI

Your attorney focuses on what they do best—complex legal work—while we handle operations

Professional infrastructure. Fractional investment. Fortune 500 results.

“We used to operate without a real labor relations function. HR did their best, but it wasn’t their expertise. Now we have a professional LR department—they just happen to be fractional. Our consistency improved, our grievance resolution improved, and our legal costs dropped significantly. It’s not about cost savings—it’s about having the right infrastructure.”

— VP of Operations, Multi-site Manufacturing Company

The Three-Tier Infrastructure Model

We match the level of support to your operational needs:

Tier 1: Essential Infrastructure ($4,000/month)

Quarterly strategic check-ins, unlimited phone/email consultation, contract interpretation support, grievance response guidance

Best for: Single location, stable labor relations, occasional guidance needs

Tier 2: Active Partnership ($8,000/month)

Monthly on-site or virtual presence, supervisor training included, contract negotiation support, campaign response if needed

Best for: Active union environment, contract negotiation phase, multiple grievances

Tier 3: Full Department ($12,000/month)

Weekly presence, lead all negotiations, C-suite advisory, unlimited locations, proactive strategy sessions

Best for: Multi-site operations, complex labor environment, strategic transformation

All tiers include attorney coordination and prep work—we make your legal spending more efficient.

Every Fractional LR Department Includes:

Labor relations specialists with decades of experience
30-minute response guarantee for all inquiries
Secure client portal for document management and case tracking
Quarterly business reviews with operational metrics and strategic recommendations
Access to proprietary assessment tools and training materials
Coordination with your existing attorney relationship (we enhance, not replace)
Continuity guarantee—team backup ensures no single point of failure

“How is this different from just using our attorney?”

Attorneys are experts in labor law. We’re experts in labor relations operations. That’s a critical distinction. Your attorney should handle NLRB charges, arbitrations, and litigation—legal matters. We handle daily contract administration, grievance responses, supervisor coaching, relationship building—operational matters. Think of how Fortune 500 companies operate: they have both an LR department (operations) and attorneys (legal). We work alongside your attorney to ensure they’re focused on what they do best. You’re getting the Fortune 500 model at mid-market economics.

“Why can’t we just hire someone full-time?”

Three reasons: (1) A qualified labor relations director costs $180K-$250K fully loaded—our model starts at $48K annually. (2) One person has one set of experiences; our team has collective expertise across hundreds of facilities. (3) What happens when that person is on vacation, leaves, or gets sick? With fractional, you have team depth and continuity built in.

“Will you actually understand our business?”

We start every engagement with a 30-day immersion: facility tours, contract review, supervisor interviews, union steward meetings, operational assessment. We’re not building relationships from scratch each time you call—we become embedded in your operation. Plus, we assign team members with specific industry expertise. If you’re in healthcare, you get healthcare specialists. Manufacturing? Manufacturing specialists. This is how Fortune 500 departments operate.

“How does this work with multiple locations?”

This is where fractional really shines. Instead of hiring separate people for each location, you get one strategic approach coordinated across all sites. Tier 3 covers unlimited locations at the same monthly fee—your cost per location drops dramatically as you grow. We’ve helped clients scale from 1 to 10+ locations without increasing their fractional fee.

See How the Model Works

Download our white paper: Fractional Labor Relations: A New Model for a New Era of Work (immediate download)

The full breakdown of how Fortune 500 companies structure their labor relations function—and how you can access the same infrastructure without the overhead.

Or call Ted Glesener directly: (800) 888-9115

LRI Consulting Services | LRIonline.com

Enterprise Labor Relations. Fractional Cost.

P.S. — The most expensive decision? The one you’re afraid to make. Fortune 500s don’t hesitate. Why do you?