Steven E. Kramer has over 30 years' experience working with a broad cross-section of industries and management teams in his practice areas of Employment and Labor, Corporate and Transactional and Sports Law. He provides sound and practical legal advice to his clients and proactively interacts with management teams in some of the most critical aspects of their businesses. He has also given numerous management training and civic group presentations on employment and sports law issues.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kramer served as Vice President to Human Resources and General Counsel for AGC Glass North America from 1990-2002. In addition to his responsibilities over HR and Legal, Mr. Kramer managed the Quality (ISO/TS16949) programs at AGC Glass N.A. He was in private practice for 10 years before joining AGC.
Mr. Kramer's experience within the Employment and Labor practice includes:
- Managing over 50 successful labor campaigns for employers in manufacturing, health care, trucking, construction and dairy; defeating union campaigns by the UAW, Steelworkers, Teamsters, Machinists, etc.
- Successfully negotiated over 75 labor contracts in the above industries, saving clients millions of dollars in achieving operational flexibility and efficiency, and over the past several years a substantial part of Mr. Kramer's practice has been devoted to negotiation wage concessions, increased health care, and frozen pensions in a difficult business environment. The contracts were negotiated across Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky and Canada.
- Managed six successful decertification campaigns in the above industries
- Tried over 100 Labor Arbitration cases
- Represented employers in nearly every type of discrimination claim possible under state and federal law
- Handled more than 25 non-compete cases to enforce client employment contracts
- Successfully guiding numerous employers through complex Reductions in Force (RIF) cases and corporate reorganization
Corporate and Transactional practice:
- Mr. Kramer, in both his private law practice and as Vice President of HR and General Counsel for a $1 billion+ multi-national company (5000 employees), has counseled senior management teams through wide variety of business strategies, acquisitions, reorganizations, RIFs, and senior management transitions
Sports Law:
- Principal focus is providing counsel to several coaches and athletic directors on employment contract-related issues
Most Recent Published Article
"The NLRB Has Taken a Sharp Left" Kramer Rayson LLP e-Newsletter - Labor and Employment Journal
Recent Presentations
Mr. Kramer has conducted management, supervisory and employee training programs on virtually every aspect of employment law, including EEO/ADA/FMLA, harassment training, union avoidance, and maintaining a high performance, pro-employee work environment.
His most recent program to a bar association was, "Current Sports Law Issues Meet Traditional Labor and Employment Law,: addressing NFL contract talks and the employment contracts of collegiate coaches such as Lane Kiffin, Bruce Pearl, Nick Saban and others.
Of Note
- Serves as a member of the Regional Board of Directors for First Tennessee Bank
- Served as Chairman of the Kingsport Economic Development Board, 1995-2005
- Serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Northeast State Technical Community College Foundation
- Serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kingsport Boys and Girls Club Foundation
- Received Boys Club of America "Man and Boy Award"
- Included in Best Lawyers in America for Employment and Labor law, 2006-2010
- Included in Chambers Partners USA in Tennessee, The Client's Guide (Employment Law), 2006-2011
- Selected for inclusion to the Mid-South and Tennessee Super Lawyers list, 2008-2011
- Married, with three children
