Margaret A. Donaghy

Current: Full time arbitrator and mediator specializing in labor and employment law.

2009-8/2025: Administrative Law Judge, Social Security Administration
· Adjudicated benefit claims pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
· Took testimony from claimants, witnesses, and experts;
· Ruled on admissibility of evidence;
· Evaluated voluminous records, including detailed medical records; · Issued subpoenas, ruled on motions, and conducted pre-hearing conferences;
· Ruled on objections and reviewed briefs;
· Issued decisions with findings of fact and conclusions of law.

2022- 8/2025: Deputy Natl. Grievance Chair for IFPTE Judicial Council 1.
· Advised bargaining unit members about their rights under the CBA;
· Drafted grievances, served as a designated representative in labor arbitration proceedings, and wrote post-hearing arbitration briefs;
· Prepared Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges for filing before the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA);
· Negotiated changes in working conditions with management pursuant to the CBA, including new agreements, memorandum of understanding, and letters of intent;
· Participated in Labor-Management forums with agency leadership to facilitate effective communication between labor and management.

2001-2009: Assistant Regional Counsel, Social Security Administration
· Represented SSA in all aspects of its litigation practice.
· Provided oral and written advice to Agency managers on labor and employment law matters, including proposals to discipline and remove employees;
· Represented the Agency before labor arbitrators, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and the EEOC.
· Prepared answers and researched and wrote federal court briefs;
· Argued before federal district courts in New York and New Jersey and the Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits;

J.D. Boston College Law School, 2000
B.A. Hofstra University, 1997

· New York State Bar
· American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
· NYS Bar Association, Labor and Employment and Dispute Resolution Sections
· Labor and Employment Association (LERA): NYC, NJ, and Long Island Chapters
· Society of Federal Labor Relations Professionals (SFLERP)

· Labor Arbitration Institute, Philadelphia Labor Law & Arb. Conf. (July 2025)
· Becoming A Labor Arbitrator Certificate, FMCS, January 2025
· FMCS Arbitration Symposium, New Arbitrator Training (October 2023)
· SFLERP Annual Symposium, March 2023
· Avoiding Implicit Bias in the Adjudicatory Process (FMCS, October 2023)
· Rutgers Institute of Labor Studies & Employment Relations (March 2022)
· Bargaining Issues - Federal Service Impasses Panel (February 2022)

· Administrative Channeling the Federal Sector, Chicago-Kent, Institute for Labor and the Workplace Labor Relations and Labor Law Conference, (Sept. 2025)
· Shop Steward Training—IFPTE Judicial Council (JC) 1 (2022, 2023, 2025)
· How to File a Grievance Training (2023, 2025)
· Chair of Committee to Revise IFPTE JC 1 Constitution and Bylaws (2023)
· Labor & Employment Litigation Highlights Affecting the ALJ Corp (2023)

Absenteeism; Arbitrability; AWOL; Bargaining; Bargaining Unit Work; Conduct (both on and off duty); Contract Interpretation; Data Security; Disability; Discrimination (age, race, sex, disability); Discipline (suspension and discharge); Drug and Alcohol; FMLA, Harassment; Job Performance; Leave Issues; Management Rights; Past Practice; Performance Appraisals; Personally Identifiable Information (PII)/Privacy Act; Promotion/Selection; Reasonable Accommodation; Retaliation and Reprisal; Safety and Health Conditions; Seniority; Table of Penalties; Threats/Violence. Work Hours/Scheduling/Assignments; Unfair Labor Practices; Working Conditions.