Overview

Anita M. Polli represents employers in all phases of labor and employment law with specific experience advising healthcare clients, including hospitals, healthcare systems and long-term care facilities. Anita negotiates collective bargaining agreements and advises clients with respect to union organizing campaigns. She handles labor arbitrations, discrimination complaints and mediations, issues of hiring and firing, and conducts internal investigations.

Anita has extensive experience handling large-scale union organizing campaigns in medical centers throughout the country and has successfully thwarted union organizing efforts by the National Nurses United (NNU), the Michigan Nurses Association and the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Most recently, Anita led teams in union organizing drives where 6000, 4000 and 3000 nurses, respectively, were targeted in academic medical centers. She has successfully led organizations through complex and highly charged union corporate campaigns with significant external visibility. Anita has also participated in and advised clients through strikes and other job actions by healthcare workers. 

Anita has been involved in labor arbitrations involving allegations of patient abuse, drug diversion, negligence of a chief nursing officer, and wrongful death, among others. Anita believes training is the most powerful risk management tool to help employers avoid legal liability, and she devotes a significant portion of her practice to training clients how to avoid and mitigate risk. She has trained entire organizations, from management to staff, on all areas of labor and employment law. Another way in which Anita assists clients in avoiding legal risk is by working with them to develop fair and balanced policies and procedures.

Previously, Anita was a partner at another law firm. She has written extensively on labor and employment matters, and has lectured for numerous legal, business and human resource organizations.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Labor and Employment Section

American Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment Section

Massachusetts Bar Association

Member

Labor and Employment Section

Boston Bar Association

Member

National Health Lawyers Association

Speaking Engagements

Investigations: The Corner Stone of Effective EEO Policies and Codes of Conduct

2016 New England Employer Conference, Burlington, MA

October 13, 2016

NLRB Update: Recent Developments Under the New NLRB

Boston, MA

June 14, 2012

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA): A Sea Change of Interest to All Employers

October 15, 2008

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA): A Sea Change of Interest to All Employers

October 14, 2008

Health Care's New Labor and Privacy Law Frontiers: Defusing Tomorrow's Problems Today

May 14, 2008

The 2008 Executive Employer® Conference

April 10, 2008

Health Care’s New Labor and Privacy Law Frontiers: Defusing Tomorrow’s Problems Today

November 14, 2007

Education

  • J.D., Northeastern University School of Law, 1988
  • B.S., Northeastern University, 1979summa cum laude

Bar Admission

Massachusetts

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts