Gouri G. Sashital

Gouri G. Sashital practices in the area of employment law and traditional labor, working out of the Farmington Hills office. Gouri has extensive experience counseling public-sector employers on all types of employment related matters, including: employee discipline; employee performance evaluations and improvement plans; policy and handbook reviews; staff training; leaves of absence (e.g. FMLA) and disability accommodations; wages and overtime issues; harassment, discrimination, and retaliation complaints; and employment-related agreements. Gouri has performed numerous workplace investigations for her clients on a wide range of issues, including ethics violations, conflicts of interest, and discrimination/harassment complaints, including sexual harassment complaints. Gouri regularly works hand-in-hand with municipalities to ensure they are in compliance with applicable laws and to minimize the risk of litigation.

Gouri also has significant expertise in the area of traditional labor, particularly with public safety and other public employee groups. She has served as Chief Negotiator for several clients and has negotiated multiple collective bargaining agreements. In addition, Gouri regularly advises municipal employers on contract interpretation, grievance processing, and union representation drives; and has represented municipal employers in grievance and Act 312 arbitrations, as well as unfair labor practice hearings.

Gouri regularly represents clients before the EEOC and MDCR, as well as MERC. Having spent the bulk of her career working with public sector clients, Gouri is well versed in addressing matters that are unique to municipal employers, such as constitutional issues or issues implicating the Freedom of Information Act and/or Open Meetings Act. In addition, Gouri has extensive litigation experience in the areas of employment discrimination, civil rights matters, governmental immunity, and other labor and employment related issues (e.g. retiree healthcare benefits).