Charles B. Palmer

When another manufacturing client was subject to multiple OSHA inspections, Chuck’s representation resulted in the Western Federal District of Wisconsin ruling against the federal government, holding that it was not entitled to company audit documentation without specific evidence of a violation. The case was critical in that the federal government had started a trend of demanding corporate safety audits at the outset of inspections in order to target employer vulnerability and leverage evidence for greater penalties. Chuck led his team in arguing that these audits were constitutionally protected. In another instance, Chuck used OSHA’s own internal regulations to halt its inspection of a food manufacturing client’s operation, resulting in no citations for the client.

A labor arbitrator ruled that the Circuit Court in one of Wisconsin’s largest counties was required to terminate contracts with trusted personnel serving the courts and transfer the work to union personnel.  When the Judges, Court Commissioner, and County Executive considered challenging that ruling, they turned to Chuck.  Reversal of a binding arbitration decision is very rare, but Chuck successfully persuaded the Wisconsin Supreme Court to vacate the award, by arguing constitutional separation of powers principles prevent an arbitrator from controlling court decisions.

When a tool manufacturing client wanted to acquire a plant, Chuck led an assessment of the plant for OSHA compliance. The strategy led to a successful acquisition, with a price adjustment and immediate compliance changes.