Charmaine Huntting has more than twenty years of experience as an attorney practicing labor and employment law in state and federal courts, and before administrative agencies. She has represented and advised labor union members, employees, and private sector, public sector, and tribal employers on labor and employment law matters.
Representative Experience
- Served as lead counsel in numerous employment matters involving claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation filed in state and federal courts and arbitration forums throughout California.
- Negotiated favorable resolutions at pre-litigation, litigation, arbitrations, mediations and through informal settlement discussions for cases ranging from wage and hour actions to single and group-plaintiff cases involving alleged violations of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and other state and federal laws.
- Prevailed in ten annual arbitrations, representing labor union in agency-fee compliance hearings before AAA arbitrators.
- Secured over $1.3 million in back pay and make-whole damages for transportation workers illegally laid off in contracting-out case against school district employer in hearing and on appeal before the California Public Employment Relations Board.
- Achieved favorable decision before the California Appellate Court, interpreting California Education Code due process notice provisions. Court held employer violated 5-day written notice requirement by delivering notice during the summer when school was not in session and worker was not available; and ordered reinstatement of worker and awarded over $40,000.00 to CSEA and the worker.
- Prevailed in a California Appellate case, clarifying that the California Education Code mandates benefits of classified employee status for substitute workers employed more than 75% of the college year; thereafter negotiated settlements with defendant of over $1 million in damages.
Published Court of Appeal Opinions
- California School Employees Association v. Livingston Union School District (2007) 149 Cal.App.4th 391.
- California School Employees Association v. Governing Board of the South Orange County Community College District (2004) 124 Cal.App.4th 574.
Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Court, Southern, Central, and Northern Districts of California
Memberships
- California Lawyers Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- California Indian Law Association
- American Indian Alumni of UCLA
Community Involvement
- Volunteer Attorney, State Bar of Texas, Disaster and Humanitarian Relief
- Troop Leader, Girl Scouts of Northern California (2013-2017)
- Parent Lead, Project Cornerstone, YMCA of Silicon Valley (2015-2017)
Education
- J.D., University of California Los Angeles School of Law
- Associate Editor, Chicano-Latino Law Review
- President, Native American Law Student Association
- B.A., History, California State University, Northridge
- President, American Indian Student Association
Honors
- Best Employment Lawyers in Los Angeles, Expertise (2023)
- Exemplary Public Service by a Grant Recipient, National Association for Public Interest Law (1991)