Joseph M. Kraska is a partner in the Little Rock office who specializes in representing employers in labor and employment matters. Joseph’s primarily practice area is in labor and employment matters with a focus on traditional labor law. He represents clients in collective bargaining, RC petitions, unfair labor practice charges, labor arbitrations, OSHA compliance matters, federal and state employment discrimination matters, and provides general employment advice to clients.
Joseph served ten years on active duty in the United States Air Force before attending law school. Currently, Joseph is a Chief Master Sergeant in the Arkansas Air National Guard and serves as a senior advisor on the state’s Joint Force Headquarters Staff, where his primary duties include advising the state’s senior leadership on force development and force management initiatives for approximately two thousand assigned personnel in the state. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. There, he served as President of the Student Veterans Organization and Executive Editor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review. He also earned his Bachelor of Arts with honors from the American Military University.
Recognition
•Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, Best Lawyers, 2024-2026
•Awarded in: Labor and Employment Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Trusts and Estates
•Mid-South Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2024-2025
•Arkanas Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2021-2022
•Little Rock’s Best Lawyers, AY Magazine, 2020-2022
Presentations
•Sowing Success: Complying with Dramatic New Labor Standards Affecting H-2A Employers
HBS Webinar; May 24, 2024
•An Afternoon in HR
HBS Helping Businesses Succeed Series; September 21, 2023
•Labor and Employment Law Update
West Central AR SHRM; January 25, 2022 and July 26, 2022
•OSHA COVID-19 Guidance
Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce; April 7, 2021
•OSHA: Inspections & Investigations
Employment Law Alliance Webinar; August 26, 2020
•Transgender Status Protection Under Title VII
Arkansas SHRM ELLA Conference; September 26-27, 2019
Publications
•Navigating the Changing Landscape of Labor Relations: An Update on Recent Developments for Employers
HBS Employment Updates Blog; November 16, 2023
•NLRB Issues Its Long-Awaited Decision on Employer Handbook Rules: Why All Employers Should Take Note
HBS Employment Updates Blog; August 8, 2023
•DOL Announces Notice of Proposed Rule Making to Update Joint Employer Test
HR Professional Magazine, August 2019
•The Fate of Transgender Status Protection Under Title VII
HR Professional Magazine, January 2019
•Important Developments with the EEOC in 2017
HR Professional Magazine, January 2018
In the Press
Eighth Circuit Rejects NLRB’s “Automatic Violation” Rule in Decertification Disputes
April 1, 2026
In a significant victory for employer rights and employee free choice, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently issued its decision in Midwest Division-RMC, LLC v. NLRB, Nos. 24-1680, 24-1863, 24-1829 (8th Cir. Mar. 18, 2026), where it squarely rejected the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) long-standing position that an employer automatically violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by withdrawing recognition from a union after a decertification vote but before formal Board certification. This is a significant development for employers with stagnating unions.
