Mr. Platten joined Wylie, McBride, Platten & Renner in 1983 and is now the sole Shareholder. His practice focuses on labor law, wrongful termination, wage and hour enforcement and employment discrimination. He anchors the law firm’s public sector labor organization practice.
At the age of 20, he was elected a union representative and officer of Retail Clerks Local Union 1222, at the time the largest single private sector labor union in San Diego County. Since 1975 he has directly engaged in collective bargaining on behalf of private and public sector labor organizations, including multi-union and multi-employer units covering up to 55,000 employees.
In his career, Mr. Platten has negotiated hundreds of agreements. He has prosecuted hundreds of grievance arbitrations, interest arbitrations, administrative hearings, jury trials and writ actions on behalf of his clients.
He has argued a wide range of labor and employment cases, many of which are published.
PERSONAL
Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Raised in San Diego, California
Married over 30 years with one son
Interests include Green Bay Packers, reading, gardening and classic movies
EDUCATION
University of San Francisco School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1983
Honors/Activities: Candidate, Law Review; 1st Place Winner, John L. Brennan Award, Trial Competition, 1982; 1st Place Winner, Advocate of the Year Advanced Moot Court Competition, 1981; Member, USF National Moot Court Team, 1981-82; Editor, The Forum, law student newspaper, 1981-82; Best Brief Award and Best Oral Argument Award, First Year Moot Court Competition, 1981
San Diego State University, B.A., philosophy, 1980
Honors/Activities: National Intercollegiate Freshman Debate Champion, Piercelle Belle Scholarship
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Speaker Labor Relations and Information System: “Grievances Arbitration”, “Principles of Just Cause and Disciplinary Grievances”; “Rights of Firefighters”; “Personnel Issues for Public Safety Employees”, 1999 – 2017
Speaker, International Association of Firefighters Attorneys Conference: “The FBOR”, 2009; “Interest Arbitration”, 2006; “Financial Emergencies in Collective Bargaining”, 2012
Speaker, California Professional Firefighters: “Firefighter Bill of Rights”, 2008; “System Approach to Collective Bargaining”, 2003; Parliamentarian, CPF 40th Convention, 2006
Speaker, NALEO 31st Conference: “Future of Public Pensions”, 2014
Panelist, Municipal Law Institute of the League of California Cities: “Crisis in the Public Workplace: Cutting Edge Issues in Personnel and Labor Relations”, 2014
Speaker, San Francisco County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section: “Public Sector Bargaining”, 2014
California State Bar Labor & Employment Law Section Annual Public Sector Conference: “Public Sector Labor Relations”, 2012
Speaker, State Bar Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Program: “Legal Decisions”, 2007
Panelist, Santa Clara County Bar Association: Labor & Employment Law Section, “Using Arbitration Agreements to Make Your Workplace Lawsuit Proof”, 2001
Speaker, California Public Employee Relations Association (CalPELRA) Conference: “Are the Pension Wars Over?”, 2014; Filmed Interview “Factfinding Process”, 2012; “The Great Debate: The Future of California Pensions and Retiree Medical Benefits/Part 1 – Pension”, 2011; “Labor and employment issues”, 2006; Annual Training Conference on Binding Arbitration Case Study,
Panelist, Hastings College of the Law & The Municipal Law Institute of the League of California Cities, 4thAnnual Symposium on Current Issues in Municipal Law: “Interest Arbitration in the Public Sector”, 2000
Speaker, National Academy of Arbitrators Seminar, “Interest Arbitration”, 2007
Speaker, AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Conference, “Public Sector Financial Records”, 2006
To request a complete list of Mr. Platten’s published opinions or speaking engagements, archived back to 1987, please e-mail info@wmprlaw.com
ADMISSIONS
State Bar of California
All California state courts
California Court of Appeal
Appellate Court, New Mexico
United States District Court, Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California
United States Court of Appeal
California Supreme Court
MEMBERSHIPS
Santa Clara County Bar Association
Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers’ Association
AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating
Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Committee Member, Santa Clara County Measure A (2016 Housing Bond) Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, 2017 – Present
Commissioner, City of San Jose Planning Commission, 2002 – 2012
Commissioner, Santa Clara County Redistricting Commission, 2011
Principal, National Fire Protection Agency, Technical Committee 1710, 1999 – 2011
Instructor, San Jose City College, Labor Studies Program, 1985 – 1990
Member, National Lawyers Guild, 1980 – Present
Member, National Employment Lawyers Association, 1996 – Present
Member, California Employment Lawyers Association, 1990 – Present
Member, Executive Board, Labor & Employment Law Section, California State Bar, 1997-1998; Treasurer 1998-2003
PUBLISHED OPINIONS
International Association of Firefighters, Local Union 230 v. City of San Jose, 195 Cal.App.4th 1179 (2011)
DiQuisto v. County of Santa Clara, 181 Cal.App.4th 236 (2010)
City of San Jose v. International Association of Firefighters, Local 230, 178 Cal.App.4th 408 (2009)
Klem v. County of Santa Clara, 208 F.3d 1085 (9th Cir. 2000)
Las Cruces Professional Firefighters v. City of Las Cruces, 123 N.M. 239, 938 P.2d 1384 (1997)
Las Cruces Professional Firefighters v. City of Las Cruces, 123 N.M. 329, 940 P.2d 177 (1996)
County of San Bernardino v. City of San Bernardino, 15 Cal. 4th 909 (1997)
In Re: Bridgett R., 41 Cal.App.4th 1483 (1996)
Scott v. Pacific Gas & Electric, 11 Cal. 4th 454, 46 Cal.Rptr. 427 (1995)
Baker v. City of Pomona, 1 Wage and Hour Cases (C.D. Cal. 1993)
Keeling v. Sheet Metal Workers, Intl. Assn., Local Union No. 162, 937 F.2d 408 (1991)
Sheet Metal Workers, Intl. Assn. Local 162 v. Jason Mfg., 900 F.2d 1392 (1990)
Sheet Metal Workers Intl. Assn. Local 162 v. B.J. Heating & Air Conditioning, 695 F. Supp. 485 (E.D. Cal. 1987)
PUBLICATIONS
Co-Editor, California Public Sector Employment Law (Lexis/Nexis 2014, 2011)
Article, “Declarations of Fiscal Emergency: A “Dead on Arrival” Means of Limiting Public Pension Costs and Impairing Local Agency MOUs” CPER Journal (September 2011)