Regional Meeting Papers

November 9, 2011 - 2nd Circuit/Northern New Jersey Regional Program:

Two panel discussions dealt with recent developments in Wage-Hour Class Actions and related strategic considerations and an NLRB update of recent decisions, rulemaking activity and the picture for 2012. Click here to view materials from this meeting.

June 1, 2011 - 7th Circuit Regional Committee, presentation on developments concerning Wisconsin labor relations:

The presenters at this meeting were all veteran labor lawyers from the state of Wisconsin. Dan Nielsen is a mediator and arbitrator who works with the Wisconsin Labor Relations Commission, and he described the quite impressive history of labor relations legislation in the state of Wisconsin beginning with workers’ compensation in 1911, unemployment compensation in 1932 and employment discrimination in 1942. Wisconsin is the first state to enact the comprehensive labor relations law for public employees - 1959. In 2011, major portions of Wisconsin public sector labor laws were amended by removing collective bargaining rights for employees of the University of Wisconsin, limiting the terms of collective bargaining agreements, abolishing interest arbitration for all employees except police and firefighters and restraining bargaining only to matters of base salaries.

The impact of these changes were discussed by Tim Hawks, a union lawyer from Milwaukee and Mark Vetter also based in Milwaukee, who presents public employers, including school districts. The discussion was moderated by Professor Martin H. Malin of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, himself an outstanding labor lawyer and author of a case book on public sector labor relations. This well-attended and highly educational program is one of several being conducted in various regions of the country by the regional committees that have been established in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco. Other committees are now in formation, and the members of the Board of Governors sincerely hopes that College Fellows will take advantage of these opportunities. The College has also offered CLE credit to government lawyers in several very successful ethics and lawyer civility programs that have been conducted in Chicago and New York.

Click here to view papers.