Second Annual
It is a common
observation that many first annual events never quite make it to a second
annual event. With that in mind, the
Commissioners and Staff of the WERC are particularly pleased to invite you to
the Second Annual Wisconsin Public Sector Labor Relations Conference. Last year’s conference was a great success,
with over 400 participants divided evenly between labor and management. The evaluations were quite positive, but
noted some areas for improvement. In
planning this year’s conference, we have attempted to increase and broaden the
offerings to address the interests of our diverse audience, while still
maintaining the quality of the materials and presentations.
A conference of this
size is a large undertaking and we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge
and thank the University of Wisconsin Law School and
the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Bar for their generous support and
assistance as co-sponsors.
We hope you find this
year’s conference informative and enjoyable, and we look forward to greeting
you in person on April 28th in
Judy
Neumann, Chair
Sue
Bauman, Commissioner
Paul
Gordon, Commissioner
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WERC Help
Desk
Where Do I Find…? How Do I…? What if…?
The WERC Help Desk will be staffed
throughout the conference in the lobby area.
The Help Desk can provide assistance in any area, from case filing
procedures to on-line research.
Computer terminals will be available for tutorials, and for checking e-mail
during the day, if you just can’t bear being disconnected.
***
Conference
Program
Judy Neumann, Chair WERC
Kenneth Davis, Dean, UW
What’s The
Word From The WERCing World?
WERC Update on Significant Cases and
Events
Peter Davis, General Counsel, WERC
9:35 –10:45 Concurrent Sessions
Session A
What Would Your Mother Think?
Ethical Issues in the Practice of Labor Relations
Moderator: Paul Gordon, WERC
Daniel Shneidman, Attorney, Shneidman Law Offices
Dean Dietrich, Attorney, Ruder Ware
Session B
How Many Arbitrators Does It Take To…
A Panel of WERC Staff Arbitrators Reacts to Scenarios Posed
by Experienced Advocates
Nancy Pirkey, Attorney, Davis & Kuelthau
Thomas Bauer, Business Agent, Labor Association
of
Richard McLaughlin, WERC
David Shaw, WERC
Karen Mawhinney, WERC
Session C
Do I Recognize You?
Issues in
Public Sector Organizing, Unit Clarification and Representation Cases
Moderator: Peter Davis, WERC
Marianne Robbins, Attorney, Previant, Goldberg,
Uelman, Gratz, Miller, & Brueggeman
Kathryn Prenn, Attorney, Weld, Prenn, Riley,& Ricci
Session D
School’s Out
What Happens If Financially Distressed Districts
Just Walk Away?
Moderator: Bill Houlihan, WERC
Jan Dooley, District Administrator,
Peter Kososki, District Administrator,
Jim Blank, WEAC UniServ Director, Bayland Council
10:45-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:15 Concurrent Sessions
Session E
The Next Big Thing
Pensions,
Early Retirement Benefits, and the Aging Work Force
Moderator:
Gary Ruesch, Attorney, Quarles & Brady
Patricia Yunk, Policy Director, AFSCME Council 48
Rick Gale, President, Professional Fire
Fighters of
Session F
Guilty, Guilty, Guilty … But, Then
Again
Reinstating the Undeserving / Stiffing the Deserving /
Arbitral Treatment of Difficult Fact Situations
Moderator: John Emery, WERC
A. Henry Hempe, Arbitrator
Sharon Imes, Arbitrator
George Fleischli, Arbitrator
Session G
Now Don’t Take This Personnel-ly
Selected issues arising under the State Personnel Code
Kurt Stege, WERC
David Vergeront, Chief Legal Counsel, OSER
George B Strother, Attorney, Krekeler Strother S.C.
Session H
What Is The Price of Free Speech?
The Scope
of Public Employees’ Rights to Criticize Their Bosses and Their Government
Moderator: Dan Nielsen, WERC
Steven Rynecki, Attorney, Von Briesen & Roper
Barbara Zack Quindel, Attorney, Hawks, Quindel, Ehlke & Perry
Session I
Aw, Do I Hafta??
Mandatory,
Permissive and Prohibited Topics of Bargaining
Peter Davis, General Counsel, WERC
Robert Mulcahy, Attorney, Michael, Best &
Friedrich
Anthony Sheehan, Attorney,
Session J
And The
Winner Is…
Interest Arbitration Update
Moderator: Lauri Millot, WERC
Sherwood Malamud, Arbitrator
Donald Schriefer,
Session K
No One’s
Legislative
Efforts to Control Local Spending, Taxing and Bargaining
Moderator: Judy Neumann, WERC
Todd Berry, President, Wisconsin Taxpayers
Fred Kessler, State Representative
Jeff Schoepke, Director of Tax and Corporate
Policy,
James Palmer, Assistant Executive Director,
Session L
But We Always Did It This Way
The Use and Abuse of Past Practice Evidence in Arbitration
Moderator: Karen
Mawhinney, WERC
Thomas Yaeger, Arbitrator
Martin Malin, Arbitrator
Mary Jo Schiavoni, Arbitrator
Paying the Piper, Changing the Tune
Is There Any Answer to the Problem of Health Insurance?
Moderator: Sue Bauman,
WERC
The Scope of the Problem:
Darcy Haber, Health Care Policy Director,
Wisconsin Citizen Action
A Proposal for Change:
David Newby, President,
Effectuating Change Through the Bargaining
Process:
Scot Beckenbaugh, Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service
3:30-5:00 Closing
reception
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Registration Information
Registration Fee: $95.00
Registrations will be accepted on a space available basis.
Registration Forms are available in two formats:
- a
convenient auto-fill
Registration Form in RTF format. The
form can either be filled-out on screen (IE browser required) and then printed
and mailed/faxed, or the form can be downloaded, opened with your word
processor, filled out on screen and either e-mailed or printed and
mailed/faxed.
- a printable Registration Form in
PDF format.
Cancellation Policy: Registrations may be cancelled with a full refund if notice of the cancellation is received by the WERC by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 14. No refunds will be made after that point. Registrations may, however, be transferred to another person from the same firm or organization at any point.
Registration Questions: contact Georgann Kramer georgann.kramer@werc.state.wi.us 608-266-9287
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