The 12th Annual Employment Law Symposium

CREDITS:
This program is pending approval. 

REGISTRATION:

Please click here to register online for the meeting. On-line pre-registration will end at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 15th. If you do not pre-register and pre-pay (via credit card) before this deadline and still wish to attend, we welcome you to "pay at the door”  for an additional $15 fee. Remember, if you need to cancel for any reason, simply send a note to our registration team.

COST: 
Members: $130
Non-Members: $170
Members In-Transition: $105
Student Members: $95
Volunteer Chairs: $80

ABOUT OUR TOPICS:

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You! Navigating the Wave of Recent New Jersey Laws and Proposed Legislation
Speakers Alvaro Hasani and Eric Baginski
New Jersey has adopted new laws that significantly impact employers, including paid sick leave, increases to the minimum wage, pay equity, restrictions on confidentiality provisions in employment and settlement agreements, prohibitions on arbitration of certain employment disputes, and expansion of rights and/or benefits under the Family Leave Act, SAFE Act, Temporary Disability Law and Family Leave Insurance. Additional laws have been proposed including legalizing marijuana; requiring significant severance pay for layoffs; and restricting non-compete agreements. Learn what changes you have to make now to comply with the legal requirements and prepare your business for the proposed new laws.

New Jersey's Changing Legal Landscape: Recent Decisions, Trends and Their Impact on Your Business
Speaker: Holly Wintermute
Judicial decisions, trends in claims filed, and backlash against employers fueled by media attention have ramifications that extend beyond the courtroom. In the employment law context, their impact can reverberate across the business landscape, setting — or modifying — precedent for all employers in a jurisdiction, complicating already challenging compliance requirements and exposing companies to significant damages. This presentation will provide an update on recent New Jersey decisions which may affect your workplace so that you are fully prepared to confront and address any potential issues.

Making #MeToo #NotHere 
Speaker: Colleen Tandy 
Ongoing sexual harassment allegations at high-profile organizations serve as potent reminders that the workplace did not become as civilized as we had hoped over the last 30 years. Despite well-intentioned policies and procedures directed at eliminating inappropriate behavior from the workplace, the problem persists. As a result, employers should rethink their approach to harassment prevention. Learn about the role of workplace culture, implicit bias and bystander training, protocols for addressing employee concerns, and team building to foster psychological safety among employees. A program built around these principles will help employers to do more than just comply with the law — it will reinforce the notion that everyone plays a critical role in preventing harassment and creating a successful workplace culture, and will empower employees with the tools to do so.

What To Do When OSHA Knocks
Speaker: David Klass
This interactive presentation offers attendees an in-depth, practical examination of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the “Act”) and how it, and the Secretary of Labor’s right to enforce the Act, cam affect his or her business. Attendees will be provided a thorough analysis of an employer’s rights and responsibilities during and OSHA inspection, the type of citations (e.g., serious, other-than-serious, willful, and repeat), penalties, including both civil and criminal, that may be issued under the Act, and a step-by-step discussion of the legal process implicated when a citation is issued.

Immigration Law Update: What Employers Need to Know Now
Speaker: Jessica Cook
The new standard for immigration adjudications is “extreme vetting”—with a 400 percent increase in worksite enforcement investigations in the past few years—the law demands a closer oversight of immigration matters. Employers now face innumerable barricades to hiring qualified foreign national employees to meet labor needs, including visa denials, the ending of deference to prior immigration applications, additional federal enforcement efforts, and an increase in private litigation. Employers must also confront the antidiscrimination provision of the INA during recruiting, hiring, and terminations. During this session, you’ll hear practical solutions to address the most common concerns faced by today’s employers.

Rightsizing: Avoiding Legal Landmines When Evolving Technology and Economic Forces Require Restructuring the Workforce
Speakers: David Lichtenberg and Phil Bauknight
Evolving technology will result in elimination of some positions and a change in responsibilities and required skills for those remaining. Tight profit margins and e-Commerce are putting pressure on many businesses, especially retail and manufacturing. Employers must be cognizant of labor and employment issues that impact their ability to restructure their workforce to respond to these pressures, including laws impacting reductions in force and severance agreements, payment for employee training and education, use of independent contractors and freelancers, and bargaining obligations. This presentation will provide best practices for working through these issues.