Jillian M. Bertrand
Partner
Jill advises public and private sector unions and individual employees on a full spectrum of labor and employment matters, including collective bargaining, contract administration, and representation and unfair labor practice proceedings. She represents clients in private arbitration and before numerous state and federal agencies, including matters before the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, National Labor Relations Board, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and Massachusetts Civil Service Commission. She has also argued numerous cases before the United States District Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Jill has focused her entire legal career on the labor movement and workers’ rights. During law school, Jill was awarded a prestigious fellowship by the Peggy Browning Fund, a nonprofit corporation established in the memory of Margaret A. Browning a prominent labor attorney and member of the National Labor Relations Board. She originally joined Pyle Rome as an associate attorney in 2011. In 2020, Jill was appointed Chief Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, where she provided general legal counsel and represented the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court. Jill returned to Pyle Rome as a partner in 2022.
On January 12, 2024, Jill was appointed by Governor Maura Healey to serve on the Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations.
Major Cases
City of Newton v. Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, 100 Mass. App. Ct. 574 (2021) (successfully defended state labor board decision that City failed to bargain over fitness for duty testing)
Silva v. Steel Workers Union, Local 8751, 2017 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 109,256, 2017 WL 1227923 (D. Mass. Mar. 31, 2017) (convinced District Court judge to reverse magistrate's finding and to strictly enforce six-month statute of limitations on claims against union by a disgruntled member)
City of Medford and Medford Fire Fighters Union, Local 1032, DLR Case No. MUP-13-2687, 2015 WL 4061667 (CERB Jun. 29, 2015) (successfully prosecuted City of Medford for disciplining union officers for their protected activity)
Education
Northeastern University School of Law, J.D., 2011
Fairfield University, B.A. (Political Science), 2005
Publications
MLC Commentary, Massachusetts Labor Cases Reporter, quarterly commentary July 2023 - present
Professional Affiliations
Massachusetts Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance
Bar and Court Admissions
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
State of Connecticut
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Speaking Engagements
Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, URI Schmidt Labor Research Center: 24th Annual Labor Arbitration Conference, November 2023
Recognitions
Member of the Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations
Contact
617.367.7200
617.367.4820 (fax)
Staff Assistant
Molly Brown
