Jerry H. Walters Jr. has practiced management-side employment and labor law exclusively since 1997 and provides litigation and counseling services on a wide variety of employment and labor issues, including OSHA. He handles matters that arise under:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended
- The Civil Rights Act of 1866
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- The Americans with Disabilities Act
- The Fair Labor Standards Act
- The Equal Pay Act
- The National Labor Relations Act
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Other federal and state employment laws
He represents employers and management in employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge cases, among others. He has also frequently appeared before administrative law judges representing employers in OSHA enforcement actions. Jerry also has special experience in defending wage and hour collective and class actions involving allegations of unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, unpaid missed or interrupted meal breaks, preliminary and postliminary unpaid time, misclassification of employees, and other FLSA and state wage and hour claims.
Additionally, Jerry assists clients with traditional labor matters such as unfair labor practices and union avoidance. He has successfully handled cases before federal and state courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and other administrative agencies. Jerry has represented and worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including:
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Restaurant
- Technology
- Financial
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Satellite/Cable
- Waste Hauling
Jerry currently serves as a Board Member of the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association. He served as Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section from 2019 to 2020. Jerry served as Chair of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys’ Employment Practices Group from 2016 to 2017.
In 2008, the Governor appointed Jerry to serve as a member of the North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development (Commission), which develops policies and strategies that enable the State's workforce to compete in the current and future global economy. In addition to his service on the full Commission from 2008 to 2015, Jerry was selected and served on the Commission’s Strategic Planning Committee, chaired the Policy Committee, chaired the Technology Task Force, and served on the Commission's Executive Committee.
Prior to his experience in private practice, Jerry served as law clerk to the Hon. Richard L. Voorhees, then Chief Judge of the U. S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. In law school, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Campbell Law Review.