Vedder

Labor & Employment

Shareholder

Thomas Petrides provides thorough and practical advice to companies in every area of employment law.

Backed by 40 years of experience, Tom delivers efficient solutions so his clients can achieve their business goals while complying with federal and state laws and regulations. He also represents them in employment litigation.

Tom represents employers ranging from start-ups to large international corporations in the banking and financial services, manufacturing, construction, transportation, hospitality, health care, high tech, retail, and service industries in California and around the United States. He provides day-to-day counseling on employee terminations, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour compliance, FMLA and California leave laws, ADA accommodations, OSHA matters, employment policies, and trade secrets and restrictive covenants.

He defends employers against employment claims in state and federal court and represents them in arbitration and state and federal administrative proceedings. He also defends wage-and-hour class actions under California law, including CAFA removal, as well as PAGA representative actions and FLSA collective actions, on issues including overtime, minimum wage, meal periods, rest breaks, wage statements, working off the clock and PAGA penalties.

Tom also has extensive experience in all aspects of California law covering restrictive covenants, including exceptions to California's public policy prohibiting non-compete agreements and drafting and enforcing compliant customer and employee non-solicitation provisions. He has a long history of representing management in collective bargaining, union organizing campaigns, and proceedings before the NLRB, including bargaining unit determinations, election objections and unfair labor practice charges.

• Member, State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section

• University of Southern California Gould School of Law, J.D., 1984

• Boston College, B.A., 1981