Philip H. Gerner III

Phil Gerner counsels and represents school districts and community colleges in collective bargaining negotiations, union representation petitions and IELRB proceedings, teacher evaluations, remediations and dismissals, employee discipline and discharge issues, labor contract administration and grievance arbitration and other labor and employment issues.  Phil has represented school districts and community colleges in numerous labor arbitrations, unfair labor practice hearings, tenured teacher dismissals and IDHR and EEOC proceedings.  Phil has successfully handled a number of appellate court appeals on issues of significance for educational employers, including short-term employee bargaining unit exclusion standards, teacher evaluation plan bargaining obligations and RIF/seniority rights of tenured teachers.

Phil is a frequent presenter for IASB, IASA, Illinois ASBO, ICCTA and other educational employer associations on a full range of labor and employment issues, including collective bargaining negotiations, teacher evaluation and remediation, school administrator employment contracts, employee discipline and discharge, and public employee speech and concerted activity issues.

Awards

• Illinois Leading Lawyer, Employment and School Law, 2004-2012

Education

• J.D., Washington University School of Law
• B.A., cum laude, St. Lawrence University

Admitted to Practice

• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Supreme Court of Illinois

Recent Publications

• “Collective Bargaining During COVID-19” IASA Leadership Matters Magazine (2021)
• “Hot Topics in Collective Bargaining,” IASB.COM, IASB (2014)
• Contributing author, “Labor Relations: Contract Administration Including ULPs,” Illinois School Law, IICLE (2005, 2010 and 2012)
• “Collective Bargaining Implications of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 (SB 315) and the Education Reform Act (SB 7),” UPDATE Magazine, Illinois ASBO (2011)

Recent Presentations

• Legal Issues Regarding Mandatory Employee Vaccinations, Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators Webinar (September 2021)