Overview
Mr. Araiza represents clients and works on matters involving all aspects of labor and employment law including collective bargaining, labor relations, project labor agreements, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, skilled and trained workforce requirements, and wage and hour disputes. He also handles matters involving zoning and land use and has experience dealing with taxation related matters.
Prior to joining AALRR, Steve Araiza worked as the Director of the Contract Department for the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, a union which represents nearly 100,000 workers across twelve states. Mr. Araiza’s work included drafting and negotiating nearly every major collective bargaining agreement, multiple project labor agreements, and hundreds of developer agreements on behalf of the Carpenters throughout the Western United States. Mr. Araiza also, in his role with the union, advocated on behalf of union signatory contractors with State and Federal regulatory agencies and represented the union in arbitration hearings. In his role with the union Mr. Araiza was known for being solution-oriented and focused on finding the path to a fair deal for all parties involved. Mr. Araiza has an insider’s knowledge of labor union dynamics and processes which allow him to cut to the heart of many labor issues.
Prior to working with the Carpenters, Mr. Araiza worked with Southern California Edison as part of their regulatory and policy team, and the Metropolitan Water District, giving him a wide breadth of knowledge of California state regulatory agencies and State and Federal legislative processes.