UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Last week, it was announced that U.S. President Joe Biden intends to appoint 10 members to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) Federal Service Impasses Panel, including Jeanne Charles, an adjunct faculty member in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State.

The panel is a part of the FLRA which resolves impasses between federal agencies and unions representing federal employees. If bargaining and mediation assistance do not result in agreement, either party or both parties may request assistance from the panel.

“I have spent more than 25 years working in federal sector labor law either as a lawyer or neutral. It is truly an honor to continue to serve industrial justice in this manner,” said Charles.

Charles teaches in the school’s World Campus Human Resources and Employment Relations Master of Professional Studies program. She is also an adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona School of Law, where she has taught advanced negotiations.

Charles has a multi-state Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice with offices in the Chicago and Fort Lauderdale areas. Her practice includes arbitration, mediation and fact-finding in the areas of workplace disputes. She earned her juris doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and maintains her law license in Illinois.

Charles currently serves as a labor and employment arbitrator on various public and private sector panels including professional sports. She is on the rosters of the American Arbitration Association, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and National Mediation Board.

As a special magistrate for the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) for several years, Charles has helped labor and management organizations resolve bargaining impasse disputes regarding issues such as pay, benefits and safety.

Prior to becoming an arbitrator, Charles practiced as staff counsel for a federal sector labor union in Chicago and in private practice. She had 10 years of corporate experience prior to becoming an attorney and was certified in Total Quality Management and Problem Solving.

Charles is a fellow with the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and has been inducted into the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA), where she serves on its Board of Governors. She was instrumental in helping the labor-management community adapt to virtual hearings by serving as the chair of the NAA Videoconference Task Force over the last year.

Outside of work, Charles is the proud mother of three adult daughters and is a member of various organizations in her community.