As promised, find here information on our other five sessions at this month’s upcoming CALPELRA conference. See descriptions, times, and locations for these Thursday and Friday sessions below!
Navigating the DFEH’s Administrative Complaint and Investigation Process
Chris Moores, Associate
Branden Butler, Assistant Deputy Director of Education and Outreach, Department of Fair Employment and Housing
Thursday, 9:45 am – 10:45 am
Sierra 1, Monterey Conference Center
The California Department of Fair Employment & Housing is the largest state civil rights agency in the United States, with its own specialized procedures for receiving and investigating complaints of discrimination in employment. DFEH is tasked with enforcing several statutes in addition to the Fair Employment & Housing Act, including the California Family Rights Act, Unruh Civil Rights Act, Ralph Civil Rights Act, and more. In this session you’ll learn about DFEH’s investigations from insiders, and get tips on how you can effectively communicate with DFEH when drafting employer position statements.
Pre-Disciplinary Process: Basics for Skelly in the DEI Era
Jeff Sloan, Founding Partner/Of Counsel
Dania Torres Wong, Partner
Alison Berry Wilkinson, Principal Attorney, Berry Wilkinson Law Group
Thursday, 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Ferrantes Bay View, Marriott Hotel
This session begins with a video of the Skelly meeting regarding alleged financial wrongdoing and retaliation by Jim Jones, a unionized manager with the Utility District in Local County. The video and accompanying Skelly notice handout set the scene for a comprehensive discussion of Skelly’s pre-disciplinary requirements. You’ll learn what went well and not so well in the Skelly meeting, as well as the high and low points in how the Skelly notice was drafted. You’ll also learn how to both avoid implicit bias and foster DEI in the disciplinary/Skelly process.
The Anatomy of a Strike
Jeff Sloan, Founding Partner/Of Counsel
Allyson Cook, Assistant General Manager, East Bay Regional Park District
Evette Davis, Founder, BergDavis Public Affairs
Thursday, 3:35 pm – 4:35 pm
San Carlos 2, Marriott Hotel
We can expect that the coming bargaining cycle in the public sector will present significant financial and political challenges, with the strong prospect that concessions and layoffs may lead to strikes and similarly disruptive conduct. This session, presented by seasoned veterans of public sector strikes, will help you understand and prepare for these potential events. This session includes comprehensive overview of the issues – labor law, labor relations, political, economic, and public relations – that arise in the context of public employee strikes. You’ll learn about the direct relationship between the resolution of negotiations and the agency’s ability to address public needs, especially regarding the most vulnerable members of the community. And you’ll learn what to expect PERB to do when you seek relief against a threatened strike.
Avoiding the End Run: Responding to ULPs seeking to Circumvent the Impasse and Factfinding Process (Sparks Session)
Dania Torres Wong, Partner
Jet Chapman, Human Resources Director, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
Friday, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
San Carlos 3, Marriott Hotel
In this Sparks segment you’ll hear from experienced negotiators about the rise of unfair labor practice charges prior to impasse to circumvent the bargaining, impasse, or factfinding process. You’ll learn what practical effects this has on the bargaining process and practice points for the appropriate employer response.
PERB Remedies: Fear the Unknown! (Sparks Session)
Tim Yeung, Partner
Madeline Miller, Senior Counsel
Friday, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
San Carlos 3, Marriott Hotel
The days of a PERB posting as the primary remedy for an unfair practice charge are over. PERB has been aggressively expanding the potential remedies available to employees and unions. Recent PERB cases have expanded the use of bargaining orders, unit determination orders, attorneys’ fees, and other novel remedies. In this Sparks segment you’ll learn about remedies in some of the most recent PERB cases, along with potential remedies PERB may be considering in the future.