Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, May. 12, 2011
From left to right: Conference Co-Chair Sheryl D. Eisenberg, Esq., Hirsch, Roberts, Weinstein LLP, Boston; Conference Co-Chair Christina L. Montgomery, Esq., Law Office of Christina L. Montgomery, Watertown; Hon. Ralph D. Gants, keynote speaker, Supreme Judicial Court.
Save the Date: 32nd Annual Labor & Employment Law Spring Conference
Join fellow MBA members at the 32nd Annual Labor
& Employment Law Spring Conference on Monday, June 6 at the
Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Ave., Boston.
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8:30 a.m.: Registration
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9 a.m.: Introductory remarks
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9:15 a.m.: The New and the Noteworthy at the MCAD:
Trends, Tips and Changes
FACULTY: Julian T. Tynes, Esq., chairman,
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, Boston;
Sunila Thomas-George, Esq., Massachusetts
Commission Against Discrimination, Boston; Jamie R.
Williamson, commissioner, Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination, Boston.
The commissioners of the Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination ("MCAD"), Chairman Julian Tynes, Jamie Williamson
and Sunila Thomas-George, will join us for a panel discussion about
current trends in employment discrimination law and recent and
planned regulatory and procedural changes at the MCAD. The panel
will discuss the impact of recent decisions in the areas of
associational discrimination, including the MCAD's decision in
Gryzych v. American Reclamation Corp., arbitration
provisions in employment agreements in the wake of the SJC's
decision in Joule Inc. v. Simmons, and the future of
agency guidelines in the wake of the SJC's decision in
GlobalNAPS Inc. v. Awiszus. The commissioners will also
discuss current regulatory and procedural initiatives at the MCAD,
including the revamping of regulations governing maternity leave,
disability discrimination and sexual harassment claims, the status
of the MCAD's mediation program and investigatory procedures.
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10:30 a.m.: Break
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10:45 a.m.: The Future of Employee Voice in the
Workplace -- Union and Non-Union
FACULTY: Nicholas Anastasopoulos, Esq.,
Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie and Lougee LLP, Worcester;
James Bucking, Esq., Foley Hoag LLP, Boston;
Prof. Richard B. Freeman, Harvard Law School,
Cambridge; Rosemary Pye, Esq., regional director,
National Labor Relations Board, Boston.
Both employees and employers need institutions for collective
voice in the work place. With unionization below 8 percent in the
private sector, few have unions to express their views on issues.
What are employers, employees and unions doing to create mechanisms
for voice outside collective bargaining agreements? What can they
do? How does the National Labor Relations Board deal with employee
voice issues?
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Noon: Lunch and Keynote Address by Supreme Judicial
Court Associate Justice Ralph D. Gants
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1:15 p.m.: Labor Law Update
FACULTY: Bryan C. Decker, Esq., Sandulli
Grace PC, Boston; Alfred S. Gordon, Esq., Pyle
Rome Ehrenberg PC, Boston; Peter J. Moser, Esq.,
Hirsch, Roberts, Weinstein LLP, Boston.
Labor issues have dominated the news in recent months, with
public sector unions fighting back against increased pressure and
scrutiny, with lockouts -- actual and threatened -- taking place in
several professional sports leagues and with intriguing cases
attracting national interest such as the recent NLRB decisions
addressing protected activity in the age of social media Web sites
like Facebook.
Join our panel of experienced labor law practitioners as they
summarize and explain the most recent labor cases, developments and
trends taking place in both the public and private sector. The
program promises to be interesting and informative for employment
lawyers and is a must for labor law practitioners.
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2 p.m.: Break
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2:45 p.m.: Is Your Client Ready For This?
FACULTY: Amy Carlin, Esq., Morgan, Brown
& Joy LLP, Boston; Elizabeth A. Rodgers, Esq.,
Rodgers, Powers & Schwartz LLP, Boston.
Not your mother's traditional annual update, but a fast paced
rapid response check list for 2011 issues you may have missed. This
section is designed to highlight the most important issues that
have emerged in the past year, with particular emphasis on
preparing your client to pursue, investigate, deter and/or defend
against claims of discrimination.
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4 p.m.: Reception
Click
here for a full conference schedule.
Click here to register.