David E. Feller Memorial Lecture – Margo Feinberg

Every year, the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law (BJELL) invites a labor law expert to speak about their work to honor the memory of David E. Feller, the beloved labor law professor and advocate.

We are excited to welcome Margo Feinberg, lalaborlaw.com, managing partner at SDSS Law (Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP).  She has been representing unions and workers in California for over 40 years at SSDS. In addition to a history of traditional labor representation from NLRB and PERB matters, negotiations, arbitrations, and strategic organizing advice,  Ms. Feinberg has crafted numerous laws intended to improve the lives of workers.  She was a primary drafter of the original Living Wage Ordinances in Los Angeles and has been instrumental in crafting and passing model ordinances on such topics as hazard pay, COVID protections, big box stores, worker retention, and predictive scheduling often in partnership with UFCW 770.  Ms. Feinberg has represented graduate student workers, post-docs, and academic researchers at the University of California on behalf of the UAW, from prevailing in hearings that resulted in representation rights for California Graduate Student Instructors to assisting with the drafting of SB 201 to broaden the definition of an employee, paving the way for recognition of 17,000 graduate student researchers at UC. Most recently, Ms. Feinberg has been representing the UAW in actions to protect academic workers in the wake of the loss of their rights in the backdrop of UC’s response to Palestine protests.