Litigation involving injuries or damages caused by labor dispute violence seldom requires the use of an independent security expert. However, from time to time, the opinion of a qualified uninvolved security practitioner with firsthand experience in such matters may prove beneficial. It is estimated there are no more than a dozen security experts in the U.S. who have extensive field experience in this specialized area of protection.

Mr. Schmedlen has personally handled the protection of over a hundred businesses during labor disputes and organization drives. Clients have ranged from factories with less than twenty workers to one facility with over 6,000 employees. In most of these cases, violence or the threat of violence was present and in many cases violent conflicts occurred. In addition to the safety of exempt workers, replacements and the protection of facilities, frequently these operations involved the protection of trucks and convoys in transit.

While Mr. Schmedlen has given depositions and testified on many occasions in relation to strike violence (in criminal, civil and NLRB proceedings), thus far he has only had one opportunity to act as an unrelated independent opinion expert in regard to the adequacy of security, the foreseeability of an adverse event or the incorrect or non-standard actions of protective personnel.

One presentation on this subject was given by Mr. Schmedlen to the Grand Rapids Chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security, International and written information has been provided by him to businesses anticipating violent strikes and to police departments.

Please scroll down to view the security expert witness strike and labor dispute security case title.

Armco Incorporated v
United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO, AK Steel, et al
Strike and labor dispute security expert witness for one plaintiff entity
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

An attachment to Mr. Schmedlen's curriculum vitae identifies the client in this matter and contains a recap of the case.

Questions on this subject? Write Roger H. Schmedlen, CPP, CFE, CII, MIPI

Strike and Labor Dispute Security Expert Witness travel time is capped as follows on litigation cases:
3 hours round trip: Illinois (Northeast Illinois including Chicago IL), Indiana (North of Muncie IN), Michigan (All of Michigan except MI Upper Peninsula), Ohio (Columbus OH and Northern OH)
4 hours round trip: Delaware (All of DE), District of Columbia (Metropolitan Washington DC area), Florida (Orlando FL south including Florida keys), Illinois (All of IL except, Northeast Illinois, Chicago IL), Indiana (South of Muncie IN), Iowa (All of IA east of Council Bluffs IA), Kansas (Eastern KS area including Kansas City KS), Kentucky (All of KY), Maryland (All of MD), Michigan (Central and Eastern Upper Peninsula, MI), Minnesota (East of Detroit Lakes MN), Missouri (All of MO), New Jersey (All of NJ), New York (All of NY including NYC), North Carolina (West of Raleigh Durham NC metro area), Ohio (Southern OH, south of Columbus OH), Oregon (Coastal OR areas including Portland OR), Pennsylvania (All of PA), South Carolina (Greenville SC Spartanburg SC area), Tennessee (All of TN), Virginia (Western VA west of Richmond VA), Washington (Coastal WA cities), West Virginia (All of WV), Wisconsin (All of WI)
5 hours round trip: Alabama (All of AL), Arkansas (All of AK), Arizona (Southern half of AZ south of Prescott AZ to Nogales AZ and including the Phoenix AZ and Tucson AZ areas), Arizona (Northwest AZ including Lake Mead, AZ and Las Vegas, NV areas), California (Western CA coastal cities regions and Southern California including Los Angeles CA, Orange County CA and northwestern regions such as San Francisco CA), Colorado (Boulder CA and Denver CA areas), Connecticut (All of CT), Florida (North of Orlando FL metro area, Florida Panhandle and of of FL in Central Time Zone), Georgia (All of GA including Atlanta GA), Iowa (All of IA west of Council Bluffs IA), Kansas (Most of KS west of Kansas City KS), Louisiana (All of LA), Maine (All of ME), Massachusetts (All of MA), Michigan (Western Upper Peninsula MI), Minnesota (West of Detroit Lakes MN), Mississippi (All of MS), Nebraska (All of NE east of CO), Nevada (Extreme southern NV including Las Vegas NV region), New Hampshire (All of NH), North Carolina (Raleigh Durham NC east), North Dakota (East of Minot ND), Oklahoma (All of OK), Rhode Island (All off RI), South Carolina (All of SC except the Greenville SC Spartanburg SC area), South Dakota (East of Rapid City SD), Texas (Northeast TX including Dallas Fort Worth TX), Vermont (All of VT), Virginia (Eastern VA including Richmond VA)
6 hours round trip: Arizona (Northern half of AZ), California (Eastern CA north of Death Valley CA area), Colorado (All of CO except for Boulder CA and Denver CA areas), Idaho (All of ID), Montana (All of MT), Nebraska (Western NE), Nevada (All of NV except extreme south Las Vegas NV region), New Mexico (All of NM), North Dakota (Minot ND and west), Oregon (Eastern 3/4 of OR), South Dakota (Rapid City SD and west), Texas (Northeast TX including Dallas Fort Worth TX), Utah (All of UT), Washington (All of WA except coastal WA cities), Wyoming (All of WY)
Negotiable: Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

STRIKE SECURITY EXPERT SECURITY EXPERT WITNESS

STRIKE SECURITY EXPERT
SECURITY EXPERT WITNESS