ABA Labor and Employment Lawyers to Hear from NLRB Officials at Chicago Meeting

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2010, — Members of the Section of Labor and Employment Law of the American Bar Association will meet at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Hotel Nov. 3 – 6 to discuss current issues facing employment law in the United States. Programming includes updates and discussions on trends in workplace litigation and arbitration, issues involving discrimination and retaliation, and managing change in the workforce.

Attendees will hear from National Labor Relations Board officials, including Chairman Wilma B. Liebman, Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon and regional NLRB directors about decision-making in a changing workforce, and issues they see facing a globalized economy.

Program highlights include:

“Dateline NLRA: Up-to-the-Minute Analysis of Developments under the National Labor Relations Act” — In light of the June 2010 Supreme Court decision holding that the two-member National Labor Relations Board was not properly authorized to render decisions, this panel will review the new unfair labor practice and representation cases issued by the NLRB, the Federal Appellate Courts and the Supreme Court.

Nov. 4, 11:15 a.m. — 12:45 p.m., Grand Ballroom 3

“The State of Labor and How Labor Representation Has Changed in a Post-Modern World” — Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, and Charles O’Connor, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, lawyer in private practice, discuss the future of the American workforce and the state of labor relations.

Nov. 4, 2 — 3:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom 3

“The New Health Care Legislation: What Employers, Unions & Employees, and Their Lawyers, Need to Know” — This panel features the assistant secretary of labor for EBSA, Phyllis C. Borzi, and other experts in the field explaining what the new health care reform legislation will mean for labor, employment lawyers and their clients.

Nov. 5, 8 — 9:15 a.m., Grand Ballroom 3

“Face the Nation: The Obama Wage and Hour Division Takes Shape” — Panelists will explore how the DoL’s budget will impact enforcement initiatives and how the Wage and Hour Division intends to use opinion letters, amicus briefs and other interpretative media to shape FLSA compliance. The panel, consisting of Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith, Wage and Hour Deputy Administrator Nancy J. Lepink, a union lawyer and management lawyer, will explain the direction of the Wage and Hour Division under the Obama Administration.

Nov. 5, 3:45 — 5:15 p.m., Grand Ballroom 3

“I Know What You Did Last Summer — Emerging Issues Raised by the Use of Social Networking Sites” — Guests will explore the potential employment law issues related to the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Focus will be on the legal risks and potential claims arising from employer/employee’s use of online social network sites, including negligent hiring, discrimination and retaliation, NLRA violations, invasion of privacy, libel/defamation, and others. This panel will also share some “best practice” tips to help minimize the risks to employers and employees.

Nov. 6, 8 — 9:15 a.m., Grand Ballroom 3

“Don’t Get Mad, Get Even — Litigating Retaliation Claims in 2010” will examine the redefinition of retaliation claims under Title 7 in the aftermath of the 2006 Supreme Court case Burlington Northern v. White and the 2009 case, Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville. The panel of expert employment litigators will discuss the nuances of litigating retaliation claims today, which has become one of the most hotly contested areas of employment law.

Nov. 6, 9:30 — 11 a.m., Grand Ballroom 3

For more information on the conference including a complete copy of the program’s latest agenda, click here.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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