Julius M. Steiner, retired lawyer, labor law expert, business executive, and dog rescue advocate, has died at 76

Julius M. Steiner, 76, of Philadelphia, longtime lawyer and labor law expert, former U.S. chief executive officer at Gamesa Technology Corp., volunteer, mentor, and passionate dog rescue advocate, died Sunday, Aug. 6, of a heart attack and resulting brain injury at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Mr. Steiner was a labor relations and employment law expert at the firms of Offit Kurman, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel, and Pechner Dorfman from 1974 to 2007, and 2009 until his retirement in 2017. He represented management often in labor relations negotiations, wrote and lectured widely on employment law and collective bargaining issues, and published The Arbitration Handbook: A Guide to the Practical and Legal Issues in Labor Arbitration in 1989.

He served on the American Bar Association’s Committee on International Labor Relations Law and was named a “super lawyer” by several publications. He mentored young lawyers and others about the advantages of fairness and equity in the workplace.

“He taught me so much about the way the world works and how important it is to listen to everyone’s voice,” said longtime friend Sergio Bucciarelli. “He opened my eyes as to what it meant to approach life’s problems with intellect and tranquility. I hope to try my hardest to make those around me better, just like he would.”

In 1982, Mr. Steiner and colleague Stephen J. Cabot published an editorial opinion in The Inquirer that advocated for “a sense of shared leadership between management and labor based upon understanding and respect.” They said: “Workers and management will have to realize that their only chance for mutual survival will rest upon the concept of a symbiotic relationship, one in which productivity is directly tied to wage incentives.”

He spent 2007 to 2009 as U.S. chief executive officer at Gamesa, a wind turbine innovation company based in Spain. Working from its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia, he directed the firm’s strategic and profit objectives in the United States and sat on its International Management Committee. He was ahead of his time regarding energy consumption and in 2008 was recognized by American Rights at Work for his cooperative relationship with the company’s union.

Away from work, Mr. Steiner served on the advisory board of Philadelphia’s MANNA nutrition services for the seriously ill and earlier volunteered with AmeriCorps’ VISTA antipoverty program. He also advocated tirelessly for dog rescue efforts and doted on his own rescued Akitas, Tasu, Zsa Zsa, and Ava.

“He always said we lived our relationship in dog years,” said his wife Heather. His nephew Liam Kenney said: “Life is emptier without him in it, but his words of wisdom and memories live on.”

Julius Michael Steiner was born Aug. 18, 1946, in Millville. He graduated from Millville High School and spent much of his youth with his grandmother in Philadelphia.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Temple University and received his law degree at the University of Louisville’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. He worked on Louisville’s law review and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies. He became interested in labor law after serving an internship with the National Labor Relations Board.

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He married and, with his wife Darlene, had daughter Joan. After a divorce, he saw Heather Hauser sitting alone one day, sent her a drink, and they married in 2009 and lived in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia.

Mr. Steiner and his wife shared a keen sense of humor, and he nicknamed her Prankenstein for her many jokes and affinity for April Fools’ Day. They traveled across the United States and to Europe, Canada, and elsewhere, and he often made special accommodations so their Akitas could accompany them.

He frequented the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation, and later took up abstract painting. He overcame prostate cancer, lived for a time with Parkinson’s disease, and was his wife’s constant caregiver after she experienced her own serious health issues.

“He dropped everything to take care of me,” his wife said. “Jules’ love brought me back and gave me purpose. He came around like a warm season. I was in hell, and I was freezing. He walked me into the light. He was the greatest gift of my life.”

In addition to his wife, daughter, and nephew, Mr. Steiner is survived by a sister, his former wife, and other relatives.

A private celebration of his life was held Oct. 18.

Donations in his name may be made to Big East Akita Rescue, 401 Parkertown Dr., Tuckerton, N.J. 08087.