Biography

Dean Burrell Biography

Dean Burrell is a nationally known labor and employment attorney with expertise gained from the National Labor Relations Board, law firms, and major domestic and international corporations. Dean has been a neutral, a union local president, and a management-side practitioner.  He is also a leader in the minority labor and employment bar.

Before starting Burrell Dispute Resolution, Dean was Vice President of Labor Relations for Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste), the nation’s 2nd largest waste corporation ($8B+ in annual revenues). There Dean and his staff were responsible for the negotiation and administration of more than one hundred and fifty collective bargaining agreements. During his tenure he partnered with national unions to ensure the smooth transition of the labor function during the Republic ($6B) and Allied ($3B) merger. This was achieved by constant communications and close relationships with national and local union leadership, the hallmark of a practical approach to labor relations. Mr. Burrell was also responsible for developing and implementing strategies addressing the Affordable Care Act and multi-employer pension plan underfunding, areas of significant concern to both union and management.

Prior to Republic, Dean was Labor Counsel/Director of Labor Relations for Penske Truck Leasing. Dean was Chief Negotiator for scores of domestic and international collective bargaining agreements for truck maintenance and logistics units. He also handled arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board unfair labor practice and representation cases.

Before Penske, Mr. Burrell served as Counsel with Grotta, Glassman and Hoffman (now part of Fox Rothschild), a nationally ranked management-side labor and employment law firm. With Grotta he litigated, arbitrated and advised on a broad range of labor and employment issues within healthcare, manufacturing, retail, supermarkets, transportation, and warehousing.

Earlier, Dean was in government service with the District of Columbia Public Employee Relations Board, and as a Field Attorney with Baltimore Region of the National Labor Relations Board and a litigator with the Board’s Special Litigation Branch. He served as President of Local 5 of the National Labor Relations Board Union, and was a shop steward with the National Labor Relations Board Professional Association.

Dean Burrell began his career in Labor Relations as a Human Resources and Labor Relations professional with corporations, major universities and hospitals while completing his legal education.

Dean earned his LL.M. in Labor and Employment Law at Georgetown University Law Center; his J.D. at Washington College of Law, The American University; and his B.S. in the School of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell University. His Bar Admissions include New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Dean has completed the Arbitrator Training Program with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the EEOC New Investigator Training, Mediator Training with the Arizona Attorney General’s Conflict Resolution Program; and is in the Labor Arbitration Development Program of the Cornell University ILR School’s Scheinman Institute for Conflict Resolution.

Dean Burrell has been a leader in the Cornell University and minority communities. He is active with the Cornell University Industrial & Labor Relations Alumni Association (President), Cornell University ILR Dean’s Advisory Council, 100 Black Men Of America (former counsel for the New Jersey and Phoenix chapters), former Vice President for the Cornell Black Alumni Association, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Alpha Chapter Alumni Association (former President).