John Alden

John W. Alden concentrates his practice in the areas of labor and employment law. Mr. Alden has litigated and arbitrated a wide variety of disputes throughout the United States and currently represents management in all areas of labor and employment law. In addition to litigation in state and federal courts, Mr. Alden has handled more than 75 labor arbitration hearings as first chair counsel. He regularly represents management in the entire spectrum of labor and employment law, including class and collective litigation under federal and state wage and hour laws, Title VII, the ADA, the FMLA, and the ADEA, among others.

Mr. Alden also has extensive experience assisting clients with workplace investigations and OSHA compliance and litigation matters. Mr. Alden regularly works on union organizing and decertification campaigns for clients and trains management and supervisors on labor relations topics, including union avoidance.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Alden practiced construction and labor and employment law with another Atlanta law firm. While at Emory, he was selected as a member of the Moot Court Special Teams, was a member of Phi Delta Phi, and was selected for the Order of Advocates. Mr. Alden speaks proficient Spanish.

Mr. Alden was recognized in 2019 by The Best Lawyers in America® for Management Employment Law. He is listed in the 2015 and the three immediately preceding editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Labor & Employment. Mr. Alden was recognized as one of Georgia Trend’s “Legal Elite” in 2014 for Labor & Employment.

Experience:

• Represented a major banking industry employer in a class action on behalf of sales employees (approximately 2,000) claiming company violated California wage and hour law. Obtained very favorable settlement.
• Provided the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation with advice, assistance and representation before the National Labor Relations Board in connection with multiple, simultaneous union organizing campaigns at Foxwoods Resort Casino on a tribal reservation. The firm provided the client with an on-site team of lawyers to provide advice on communications with employees and the general public, bargaining unit composition, and federal jurisdiction over tribal labor relations. Before the National Labor Relations Board, the firm’s attorneys addressed novel issues relating to National Labor Relations Act coverage of a tribal government with a detailed tribal labor law.
• Successful union decertification for major household products company.
• Represented a major beverage company in a putative class action in the Southern District of Florida brought by several route salespeople seeking to represent a class alleging FLSA claims against our client. The firm defeated an attempt to obtain certification of a multi-state wage/hour collective action, limiting the dispute to a small area. Summary judgment was obtained on most of the remaining claims and a favorable settlement was obtained for the rest of the claims.
• Represented an industry leading provider of mortgage processing solutions in a California state court class action alleging labor code violations for failure to reimburse business expenses, forfeiture of accrued but unused vacation, improper wage statements, and failure to pay all wages due at termination. Negotiated a settlement covering more than 3,000 of its current and former employees on very favorable terms.
• Represented a major beverage company in class action brought under New Jersey and New York law on behalf of all route sales personnel (approximately 1,900) claiming that the company had misclassified them as exempt from the overtime provisions of state law, and seeking six years of back overtime pay. Obtained dismissal of the New York class and settled the New Jersey class on favorable terms.

Education:

• Gettysburg College, B.A. (1994)
• Emory University School of Law, J.D. (1997)

Admissions:

• Georgia (1997)

Court Admissions:

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit