THIRD ANNUAL WISCONSIN PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR RELATIONS CONFERENCE

The Commissioners and staff of the WERC are pleased to invite you to the Third Annual Wisconsin Public Sector Labor Relations Conference. 

We would like to acknowledge and thank the University of Wisconsin Law School and the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar for their continued support and assistance as co-sponsors.

We are excited about the program for this year's conference and hope that you will find it as informative and enjoyable as in previous years.  We look forward to seeing you on May 3rd in Madison.

The program and links to registration forms for the May 3, 2007 Public Sector Conference appear below, along with information regarding an additional training opportunity for advocates on May 2nd, entitled Labor Arbitration Advocacy: Preparing, Presenting and Persuading, sponsored by Region 11 of the National Academy of Arbitrators.  While this additional training program is not part of the 2007 Public Sector Conference and is not sponsored by the WERC, because of its obvious relevance and interest to our clients the WERC has agreed to help publicize it to Conference participants, and to allow people to register for both programs at the same time.

Judy Neumann, Chair
Sue Bauman, Commissioner
Paul Gordon, Commissioner

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2007 WISCONSIN PUBLIC SECTOR

LABOR RELATIONS CONFERENCE

Thursday, May 3, 2007 – Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wisconsin

 

Presented by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission

Co-Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Law School and

the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar

 

 

8:00- 8:30        Coffee/Registration

 

8:30-8:40         Welcome/Announcements

                        Judy Neumann, Chair, WERC                                                                                                       

 

8:40-9:40         What’s the Word From The WERCing World?                                                                    

Recent Developments in Wisconsin’s Public Sector

Peter Davis, General Counsel, WERC

 

9:40-10:30       Cheez It .. It’s The Feds!  

Recent Developments in Labor and Employment Law in the Federal Courts

                        Professor Carin Clauss, University of Wisconsin Law School

 

10:30-10:45     Coffee Break

 

10:45-11:45     First Set of Breakout Sessions – A, B, C, D

 

Session A         Oh, Quit Weining

Weingarten and Garrity Rights in an Organized Environment

Moderator:  Sharon Gallagher, WERC

Mike Julka, Lathrop & Clark

Gordon McQuillen, WPPA

 

Session B         Because I Say So

The Permissible Scope Of Unilateral Action

                                Moderator:  Raleigh Jones, WERC

Bob Butler, WASB

Bruce Ehlke, Hawks, Quindel, Ehlke & Perry

 

Session C         Dr. Phil and Mr. Hyde

Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Dealing With The Troubled Employee.

Moderator:  Kurt Stege, WERC

Jim Ruhly, Melli, Walker, Pease & Ruhly

Bruce Meredith, WEAC

 

 


Session D         The Lightning Round

Hot Spots / Quick Hits Session On Bargaining Topics

Moderator:   Steve Morrison, WERC

Joe Conway, Wisconsin Professional Firefighters, IAFF

Marion Smith, Michael, Best & Friedrich

John Prentice, Wisconsin Counties Association

Jana Weaver, Wisconsin State Employees Union

 

11:45-12:45     Lunch – No Speaker

 

12:45-1:45       Second Set of Breakout Sessions – E, F, G, H

 

Session E         Gasp – It’s GASB!!

How the Change in Accounting Rules Affects The Substance of Bargaining

Moderator:  Karen Mawhinney, WERC

Steve Nenonen, City Administrator, City of Racine

Larry Rodenstein, Council 40, AFSCME

 

Session F         Swallow Your Whistle, Ref

Free Speech, Whistle-Blowing And The Garcetti Case

Moderator:  Stuart Levitan, WERC

Walter Kelly, Law Offices of Walter Kelly

Jim Korom, von Briesen & Roper

 

Session G         Searching For The Truth – Or At Least A Helpful Cite

Computer Research Methods For Interest Arbitrations and WERC Cases

Marshall Gratz, WERC

 

Session H         www.you’refired.com

Arbitral Treatment of Misconduct and Privacy Issues in the Internet Age

Moderator:  John Emery, WERC

Prof. Jay Grenig, Marquette University

Lester Pines, Cullen, Weston, Pines & Bach

Mary Gerbig, Davis & Kuelthau

 

1:50-2:55         Third Set of Breakout Sessions – I, J, K, L

 

Session I          And The Winner Is… 

2006-2007 Interest Arbitration Update

Moderator:  Coleen Burns, WERC

Sherwood Malamud, Arbitrator

Kim Gasser, La Follette, Godfrey & Kahn

Andrea Hoeschen, Previant, Goldberg

 

Session J          Musher, Lead Dog or Just Part of the Team?

Who Is A Supervisor These Days?

Moderator:  Paul Gordon, Commissioner, WERC

Peter Davis, General Counsel, WERC

Mike Wilson, Council 40, AFSCME

Jonathan Swain, Lindner & Marsack

 


Session K         Doing Unto Others                                                                           

The Ethics of Practical Labor Relations 

Moderator:  Bill Houlihan, WERC

JoAnn Hart, Stafford, Rosenbaum

Kurt Kobelt, Lawton & Cates

 

Session L         Everything You Always Wanted To Know

                        About Arbitrators But Were Afraid To Ask

Open Forum With A Panel Of Arbitrators

Moderator:  Danielle Carne, WERC

Sharon Imes, Arbitrator

Amedeo Greco , Arbitrator

Lauri Millot , Arbitrator, WERC

                                                                                                           

3:00-4:15         Closing Plenary Session

           

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Does Increasing the Quality of Care and Promoting Wellness

Lead to Lower Costs for Medical Care and Health Insurance?

Moderator:  Sue Bauman, Commissioner, WERC

Sean Kenney, Labor-Management Health Care Coalition of the Upper Midwest

Dick Tillmar, Partner, Diversified Insurance Services, Inc.

 

4:15                 Reception

 

 

WE NEED QUESTIONS FOR THE PANELISTS…

 

This year, we have introduced three new sessions that we hope will get away from usual “talking heads” presentations and provide more specific information on matters of interest to the people attending the conference:

 

The Lightning Round – A two minute drill on topics and developments at the bargaining table

Doing Unto Others – The practical ethics of labor relations

            Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Arbitrators But Were Afraid to Ask

 

Each of these sessions is designed to primarily focus on questions and issues raised by the audience.   In order for this format to work, we obviously need your cooperation.  Please include with your registration at least one question you would like answered or issue you would like addressed in each of these sessions.  Otherwise, there’s going to be a lot of dead air, and presenters doing card tricks for an hour.

 

 

Additional Training Opportunity the Day Before –

Arbitration Advocacy Training through the NAA

 

On Wednesday, May 2nd, Region 11 of the National Academy of Arbitrators will be conducting a training session for advocates on Labor Arbitration Advocacy: Preparing, Presenting and Persuading.  While this session is not part of the 2007 Public Sector Conference and is not sponsored by the WERC, because of its obvious relevance and interest to our clients the WERC has agreed to help publicize it to conference participants, and to allow people to register for both programs at the same time.

 

 

National Academy of Arbitrators Advocacy Training

Program Schedule and Information

May 2, 2007 – Sheraton Hotel, Madison

 

8:00 - 8:45             Registration, continental breakfast

8:45 - 9:00             Welcome, Introductions and Announcements

                              Stanley Michelstetter, NAA Madison, Regional Chair

9:00 - 9:50             Overview of Program

                              Amedeo Greco, NAA Madison

                              Gil Vernon, NAA Eau Claire

                              Ed Krinsky, NAA Madison

10:00 - 10:50         Elements of Just Cause and Contract Interpretation

                              Harvey Nathan, NAA Chicago

                              Lisa Salkovitz Kohn, NAA Chicago

                              Jeanne Vonhof, NAA Chicago

11:00 - 12:00         Presenting Evidence and Panel Discussion of Evidence Issues

                              Barry Simon, NAA Chicago

                              George Fleischli, NAA Madison

                              Fred Dichter, NAA Milwaukee

12:00 - 1:00           Lunch and Open Discussion Period

1:00 - 1:50             Case Matrix/Advanced Topics in Arbitration (two tracks)

                              Case Matrix – Fred Dichter, Sharon Imes, NAA LaCrosse, and Stanley Michelstetter

                              Advanced Topics – George Fleischli, Ed Krinsky, and Harvey Nathan

2:00 - 3:15             Arbitration Exercise

                              Fred Dichter, Sharon Imes, and Stanley Michelstetter

3:30 - 4:30             Questions and Answers

 

The program will be conducted at the Sheraton – Madison across from the Alliant Energy Center.  A block of rooms at $99 single or double has been reserved for May 1 and May 2.  The hotel’s telephone number is (608) 251-2300.

 

All program materials will be provided, and attendees will have an opportunity on-site to purchase Norm Brand's, "Labor Arbitration: The Strategy of Persuasion."

 

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Registration Information

 

Registration Fee:        $95.00

Registrations will be accepted on a space available basis.

Wisconsin CLE Credits Pending

 

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 20.  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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