Jonathan Elifson

Jonathan Elifson is of counsel in the Dallas, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Jonathan uses his knowledge of both traditional labor law and employment law to help employers (including unionized employers) create and maintain stable and productive relationships with their employees.

A practitioner with experience interpreting and applying the principles of both the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Railway Labor Act (RLA), Jonathan leverages his knowledge of regulations and precedent to successfully achieve optimal outcomes for employers facing complex traditional labor litigation, investigations and representation disputes. 

Jonathan’s background under the NLRA is extensive. A former senior attorney with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Jonathan has significant NLRA litigation experience, including cases involving alleged protected activity, refusal to bargain, withdrawal of recognition and union property access. Jonathan has also dealt with union organizing campaigns, representation and decertification petitions, secondary boycotts/picketing, Section 8(f) agreements, and issues involving strikes and work stoppages. 

Jonathan’s experience under the RLA is just as impressive. He has led or served as co-counsel in RLA arbitrations involving highly technical industry-specific issues and has also served as a member of system boards. He has advised carriers on employee rights under the RLA, RLA/NLRA jurisdictional issues, RLA representation procedures and the National Mediation Board’s collective bargaining dispute resolution process, including the parties’ legal rights during various stages of that process. He has represented parties, including carriers, in labor litigation in federal district court and successfully represented a major air carrier before the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He is a senior editor of The Railway Labor Act treatise. Additionally, he teaches a labor law class emphasizing the RLA at SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas, where he received his Juris Doctor. 

Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2021, Jonathan defends employers in claims involving Title VII, ADEA, ADA, USERRA and other employment discrimination matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, such as the EEOC, Texas Workforce Commission and the NLRB. Jonathan has also represented major corporations in civil litigation involving breach of contract, breach of warranty and other commercial claims. Jonathan is frequently asked to speak on labor and employment topics. In addition to a law degree from SMU, he holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Queen Mary University of London, where his dissertation compared international commercial arbitration and labor arbitration under the RLA, including issues related to arbitrator selection and arbitrators’ application of mandatory law and/or external law.