Clement L. Tsao
Clement L. Tsao is a member at HSGLaW, where he represents labor unions in all aspects of labor relations. This includes practice in federal and state courts, matters before the National Labor Relations Board and the Ohio State Employment Relations Board, and providing counsel and advice on collective bargaining, grievance arbitrations and organizing. Licensed in Ohio and Kentucky, Clement’s experience also includes representing workers in wage and hour disputes and class action litigation.
Before becoming a lawyer, Clement worked for six years as a union organizer, first for UNITE HERE, organizing hotel workers in New York City and Washington, D.C., and then for AFSCME, organizing family child care providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was these organizing experiences that inspired Clement to pursue a career in labor law.
Clement earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2012 and his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 2003.
Areas Of Practice
- Civil Litigation
- Employment Law
- Labor Law
Education
University of Cincinnati College of Law, J.D., 2012
Brown University, A.B., 2003
Languages
English
Bar Admissions
- Ohio, 2013 (including all federal courts)
- Kentucky, 2014 (including all federal courts)
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2013
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 2014
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2021
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2021
Experience
- Healthcare Facility Management LLC d/b/a CommuniCare Family of Companies, 09-CA-331440 et al. (2025) (part of the legal team that secured favorable settlements on behalf of five immigrant nurses sued for allegedly violating training repayment agreement provisions (“TRAP”) ‘I feel like a criminal for quitting’: nurses in the US fight ‘stay or pay’ agreements | US healthcare | The Guardian).
- Johnston Fire Servs., LLC, 371 NLRB No. 56 (Jan. 27, 2022) (part of the legal team that secured reinstatement and backpay for two pro-union employees who were fired in connection with an organizing campaign).
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local Union No. 413, v. The Kroger Co., dba Tamarack Farms Dairy, No. 21-3228, 2021 WL 5505496 (6th Cir. Nov. 24, 2021); (successfully obtained and affirmed the district court’s opinion and order compelling employer to arbitrate a retirement benefits grievance).
- Franklin Cty. Sheriff v. Teamsters Loc. No. 413, 2019-Ohio-173, 154 Ohio St. 3d 1480; (successfully confirmed two arbitration decisions (and defeated the public employer’s effort to vacate), culminating in review by the Ohio Supreme Court, that reinstated 4 civilian employees with backpay totaling nearly $300,000 in wages and benefits).
- Lindsey v. Shamrock Cartage, Inc., No. 2:18-CV-1165, 2018 WL 6528432 (S.D. Ohio Dec. 12, 2018) (successfully litigated NLRB charges culminating in complaint for 10(j) injunctive relief where federal district court ordered reinstatement of the lead organizer terminated during an organizing campaign).
Professional Honors and Activities
Memberships:
- American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section
- Union Co-Chair, Technology in the Practice and Workplace Committee
- AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance
- Board of Directors (2016-2018)
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Executive Council Member, Labor and Employment Law Section
- Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Awards & Published Works:
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars®, 2017-2023
- Contributing Editor, The Developing Labor Law: The Board, Courts and the National Labor Relations Act
- Contributing Author, Workplace Data: Law and Litigation, 2014 Cumulative Supplement