Gleason to Lead Legal Team at Teamsters Local 1224

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Airline Professionals Association (APA), Teamsters Local 1224 announced today the addition of a new member to lead its legal team at Teamsters Local 1224.  Edward Gleason joins Teamsters Local 1224 as Chief Counsel. 

"I am excited about the experience Ed brings to our legal team," said APA Teamsters Local 1224 President Daniel C. Wells.  "The depth of his experience, from running the day-to-day operations of unions and law firms to leading high stakes negotiations and litigation, will serve us well at the local."

As chief legal counsel for Local 1224, Ed will be responsible for directing all of the local's legal activities to include directing all in and outside counsel, day-to-day management of local employment matters, managing collective bargaining agreement compliance systems (grievances), arbitrations, litigations, negotiations, legislative and international matters.

"Coupled with a list of impressive credentials, Gleason is intimately familiar with many of the other locals within the International and the Teamsters Airline Division, and even has extensive relationships with international unions," Wells noted. "This will be of great assistance when we need to coordinate our activities."

Since 2007 and until last month, Ed has worked as a staff attorney for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (International) in Washington, D.C., serving as counsel to the Airline and Carhaul Divisions and handling ERISA matters affecting the International's 400+ multi-employer pension plans (totaling many billions of dollars in assets) across the country.  In addition, Ed has represented both the Airline and Carhaul Divisions in numerous negotiations, bankruptcy, arbitrations, federal court proceedings and legislative matters.

"I look forward to working directly with the Executive Board of Teamsters Local 1224 to help advance the members' working conditions and their industry," said Gleason. "I enjoyed working with Local 1224 as counsel to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division, but I have even more greatly enjoyed representing the locals directly, because it provides me with an even closer and stronger connection to the front lines of the labor movement and the members themselves."

Prior to joining the Teamsters, Ed represented labor organizations in other industries, particularly in the maritime, trucking and mining industries.  He served for seven years as general counsel to the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA), a national labor organization that represents United States Coast Guard licensed merchant officers who work aboard United States flag merchant ships engaged in domestic and international trade.  With nearly 25 years in the legal profession, he has been a partner of, and managed, several law firms and also has experience as lead counsel in state and federal civil suits involving various labor matters arising under the LMRDA, LMRA, ERISA, ADA and Title VII and representing clients before federal regulatory agencies including the Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, National Mediation Board, Department of Transportation, Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. 

In addition to his everyday work as a lawyer, Ed is an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. where he has taught Advanced Labor Law and Practice and Procedure before the NLRB, since 1996. His pro bono work has included representing and assisting numerous labor and human rights organizations around the world. This has included landmark cases involving Indonesian, Columbian, and Burmese citizens brought under the Alien Tort Claims Act against huge, multinational corporations. Ed has also been extensively involved in helping many of the human rights groups in Burma to bring democracy to its citizens.

Ed is admitted to practice before the state courts in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Third Circuit and Seventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

"The Local 1224 Executive Board is proud of the team of legal professionals we have assembled at our local. Under Ed's leadership, we will aggressively work to better the working conditions of our members and have a positive impact on the piloting profession in the United States and internationally," said Wells.

The Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224 is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division.  Local 1224 is the certified bargaining unit that represents all flight crew members employed by ABX Air, Inc., Allegiant Air, Atlas Air, Inc., Brendan Airways, LLC, Horizon Air Industries, Inc., Hyannis Air Services, Inc., Kalitta Air, LLC, Miami Air International, Omni Air International, Silver Airways Corporation, and Southern Air, Inc.

SOURCE Teamsters Local 1224, Wilmington, Ohio