ADRIAN J.
HARDESTY
WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS • ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Labor and employee relations professional with extensive experience in union leadership, representation, contract interpretation, grievance support, collective bargaining, workplace investigations, regulatory compliance, and unionized field leadership. Combines disciplined fact-finding, evidence and case documentation, labor-management communication, frontline operational credibility, and graduate-level preparation in labor law, conflict resolution, negotiation, and arbitration.
VIEW RÉSUMÉ
Areas of Expertise
A professional background spanning labor and employee relations, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, organizational leadership, regulatory enforcement, and unionized operations.
Labor & Employee Relations
Collective bargaining, grievance administration, CBA interpretation, labor-management communication, employee representation, and workplace problem solving.
Workplace Investigations
Fact-finding, interviewing, evidence review, payroll and personnel records analysis, regulatory investigations, case documentation, and administrative proceedings.
Conflict Resolution & Negotiation
Graduate-level preparation in negotiation, conflict resolution, arbitration principles, just cause, issue analysis, and durable workplace problem solving.
Leadership & Operations
Organizational governance, workforce supervision, union leadership, safety-sensitive operations, coaching, accountability, and stakeholder communication.
Professional Experience
Experience across public-sector enforcement, labor representation, unionized field leadership, business operations, and military service.
Deputy Labor Commissioner, Bureau of Field Enforcement
California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement | Santa Rosa, California
Investigate workplace complaints and employment-compliance issues through worker and employer interviews, forensic payroll audits, records review, regulatory research, inspections, and follow-up in sensitive and frequently adversarial settings.
Review payroll, timekeeping, personnel, insurance, and business records; identify disputed facts and governing requirements; and prepare evidence summaries, investigative reports, citations, subpoenas, and administrative case files.
Prepare matters for administrative appeal hearings by organizing exhibits, evaluating defenses, confirming service and procedural compliance, and developing concise fact-and-law presentations.
Manage concurrent cases, statutory deadlines, document requests, case-system entries, and written communications while explaining complex workplace rights and legal requirements clearly to workers, employers, representatives, and management.
Labor Leadership, Negotiation & Representation
CASE and IBEW Local 551 | Northern California
Serve as a CASE Local Representative and negotiating-team member, handling grievance-related matters, advising represented employees on contract rights, interpreting contract provisions, identifying recurring workplace issues, and supporting bargaining and meet-and-confer preparation.
Develop issue summaries, timelines, evidence, correspondence, proposals, and meeting materials while tracking deadlines and maintaining sensitive case information with accuracy, confidentiality, and follow-through.
Previously served IBEW Local 551 as Executive Board Member (2022–2025), Labor Trustee (2023–2025), Examining Board Member (2016–2019), Convention Delegate, and member-engagement participant, contributing to governance, fiduciary accountability, member education, representation, and leadership development.
Support CBA interpretation and grievance/arbitration preparation through fact development, documentation review, issue framing, procedural analysis, and communication among members, union officers, supervisors, contractors, and management.
Unionized Electrical Construction Foreman / State-Certified General Electrician
Commercial & Industrial Electrical Construction | Northern California
Led crews in safety-sensitive unionized construction environments with responsibility for work planning, scheduling, quality, productivity, coaching, accountability, and jobsite communication.
Worked directly with journey-level workers, apprentices, union representatives, contractors, customers, and supervisors to resolve workplace and operational issues.
Developed firsthand understanding of represented workforce dynamics, referral and dispatch systems, safety culture, performance concerns, and the importance of consistent contract and policy application.
Mentored apprentices and less-experienced workers in safety, technical standards, work planning, and professional expectations.
Owner / Operator
U.S. Agrosystems | California
Managed an environmental and precision-agriculture consulting business involving client communication, project coordination, compliance awareness, business records, GIS/GPS data, research, and deadline-driven field work.
Balanced technical field work with customer service, project planning, documentation, and business operations while working independently across varied client needs.
Designed and implemented precision-agriculture systems using GIS/GPS technology and supported research, data analysis, and land-management planning.
Communications Specialist
United States Army, Communications Corps
Supported communications operations involving mobile radio-frequency and encryption systems in disciplined, mission-focused environments requiring reliability, teamwork, and technical proficiency.
Received the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Education & Professional Development
Graduate education in labor and employment relations complements professional experience in investigations, representation, collective bargaining, regulatory compliance, and organizational leadership.
Rutgers University
School of Management and Labor Relations
Master of Labor and Employment Relations
Expected December 2026
Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
Completed May 2026
Collective Bargaining • Labor Law • Employment & Labor Arbitration • Just Cause • Conflict Resolution • Negotiation • Research Methods • Survey Design • Organizational Problem Solving
University of California, Santa Cruz
Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies
Sustainable Development focus
Thesis Honors
California State-Certified General Electrician
License 166066
Technology & Data Analytics
Qualtrics
Survey design and administration, question construction, display logic, survey formatting, and development of professional online survey instruments.
Excel & Data Analytics
Pivot tables, charts, descriptive statistics, regression analysis, data visualization, and organization and analysis of workplace and research data.
Systems & Professional Tools
Salesforce CRM, case-management and database systems, GIS/GPS platforms, Microsoft Office, research, evidence organization, and document management.
Leadership & Involvement
Leadership experience developed through employee representation, collective bargaining, organizational governance, fiduciary service, workforce development, and frontline supervision.
Current
CASE Representation & Negotiations
- Local Representative for represented California state employees.
- Member of the statewide negotiating team.
- Support grievance administration, contract interpretation, meet-and-confer preparation, workplace issue analysis, and employee communication.
- Develop timelines, evidence, correspondence, proposals, and meeting materials for labor-management matters.
Elected Leadership
IBEW Local 551
- Executive Board Member, 2022–2025
- Labor Trustee, 2023–2025
- Examining Board Member, 2016–2019
- Convention Delegate and member-engagement participant.
- Experience in organizational governance, fiduciary accountability, member representation, policy interpretation, and leadership development.
Workforce Leadership
Supervision, Mentoring & Operations
- Led crews in commercial and industrial electrical construction.
- Coordinated safety, scheduling, productivity, quality, accountability, and jobsite communication.
- Mentored apprentices and less-experienced workers in technical skills, safety, planning, and professional expectations.
- Worked across employee, union, contractor, customer, and management interests in complex operational environments.
These roles provide a practical perspective on workplace relationships from multiple levels of an organization — including employee representation, governance, supervision, regulatory enforcement, bargaining, and day-to-day operations.
Let’s Connect
I welcome connections with professionals working in labor relations, employee relations, workplace investigations, organizational leadership, labor-management relations, and conflict resolution.