Gabriela Avina
Montclair,CA
Summary
Employee Relations Specialist who manages complex investigations, grievances, and disciplinary matters in a unionized healthcare environment. Works with HR, Legal, Operations, and union representatives to resolve harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct cases, while ensuring CBA compliance, clear documentation, and timely case movement.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Employee Relations Specialist
Telecare Corporation
10.2025 - Current
- Lead and manage complex employee relations investigations within a unionized healthcare environment involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, policy violations, and workplace concerns.
- Partner directly with union representatives and stewards on employee relations matters, investigatory meetings, grievances, disciplinary actions, and other labor-related concerns.
- Coordinate and support grievance meetings, including scheduling union and management participants, gathering relevant documentation, reviewing case history, and preparing management responses.
- Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreement provisions when advising leadership on employee relations matters, disciplinary actions, attendance concerns, suspensions, separations, and grievance procedures.
- Coordinate union representation for investigatory interviews and other employee meetings while ensuring applicable representation rights and contractual requirements are followed.
- Serve as a liaison between Employee Relations, program leadership, HR, Legal, Operations, and union representatives to coordinate labor-related requests and resolve employee concerns.
- Maintained organized and confidential documentation for investigations, grievances, disciplinary actions, and labor relations, ensuring accessibility for case notes, correspondence, supporting records, and final outcomes.
- Prepared investigative reports, grievance responses, executive summaries, and findings for leadership review, ensuring clarity and thoroughness in employee and labor relations documentation.
Employee Relations Specialist
JPL NASA
09.2023 - 10.2025
- Led investigations into complex, sensitive issues, including sexual harassment and discrimination complaints, ensuring thorough resolution and adherence to policy.
- Interfaced with managers and HR Business Partner to guide performance management, planning, assessing, and approving formal disciplinary actions across all organizational levels.
- Collaborated with Legal Counsel, Ethics office, and Protective Service to analyze high-risk HR cases and coordinate action plans for terminations and critical decisions.
- Develop and analyze metrics related to employee relations to monitor trends and identify areas for improvement.
- Lead HR projects and work with leaders to implement workforce strategies that support the organization's goals.
Employee Relations /HR Business Partner
Blattner Company
06.2022 - 04.2023
- Partnered with business leaders to provide strategic HR guidance on employee relations, performance management, workforce planning, talent development, organizational effectiveness, and policy interpretation.
- Led employee relations investigations and partnered with leaders to resolve workplace issues and ensure consistent application of company policies.
- Coached leaders on performance concerns, disciplinary actions, investigations, terminations, and employee engagement initiatives, ensuring compliance with employment laws and company policies.
- Collaborated with HR and labor relations to support unionized operations, advise leaders on performance management, and resolve employee concerns aligned with collective bargaining agreements.
Employee Relations Associate
Volunteers of America
04.2021 - 06.2022
- Partnered with leaders to manage employee relations matters, facilitating disciplinary actions, terminations, reasonable accommodations, and compliance initiatives.
- Conducted complex workplace investigations, interviewing employees and witnesses, analyzing findings, and recommending resolutions that ensured compliance with company policies and employment laws.
- Reviewed workplace complaints, policy concerns, and conduct issues with HR and managers.
- Supported employee relations cases across Volunteers of America service programs and facilities.
- Documented investigations, interviews, and case notes in confidential HR records.
HR Recruiter/ HR Coordinator
Cardenas Market LLC
12.2019 - 02.2021
- Managed full-cycle recruitment for field and corporate positions, including job postings in TalentReef, candidate sourcing, screening, interviewing, and coordinating hiring decisions with management to secure top talent.
- Provided HR administrative support for approximately 1,000 employees by processing employee status changes, benefits administration, and payroll updates in ADP, ensuring compliance with company policies.
HR Shared Services Representative
Panda Restaurant Group
12.2018 - 11.2019
- Advised management on onboarding, benefits, leave of absence, and company policies, supporting HR operations for over 2,000 stores.
- Assisted with audits and compliance reviews, ensuring adherence to mandatory reporting requirements.
Education
B.A. - Human Development
California State University of Long Beach
Long Beach05-2019
Skills
- Workplace investigations
- Employee relations
- Grievance administration
- Disciplinary action
- Performance management
- Labor relations
- Collective bargaining interpretation
Timeline
Employee Relations Specialist
Telecare Corporation
10.2025 - Current
Employee Relations Specialist
JPL NASA
09.2023 - 10.2025
Employee Relations /HR Business Partner
Blattner Company
06.2022 - 04.2023
Employee Relations Associate
Volunteers of America
04.2021 - 06.2022
HR Recruiter/ HR Coordinator
Cardenas Market LLC
12.2019 - 02.2021
HR Shared Services Representative
Panda Restaurant Group
12.2018 - 11.2019
B.A. - Human Development
California State University of Long Beach