Local & State Government Law Section Fall Meeting: Session III

Program Agenda:

Achieving Zoom-baya: Using #Technology to Make Your Practice More Efficient in the #WorkFromHome Era 

An overview of useful tips and tricks on using technology in your semi-permanent home law office, and the importance of cybersecurity and website accessibility.

Alyssa L. Zuckerman, Esq., Lamb & Barnosky, LLP, Melville

Topics in Municipal Labor Relations During the Pandemic 

Part One – Civil Service and Educator Layoffs and Reductions in Force

Budget shortfalls due to the pandemic will force many public employers to consider and implement workforce reductions in the near future. The speakers will discuss the rules governing who can be lawfully laid off and the processes that must be followed, including seniority determinations and the interplay between statutory law and collective bargaining agreements. 

Melissa N. Knapp, Esq., Thomas Drohan Waxman Petigrow & Mayle, LLP, Hopewell Junction

Allison E. Smith, Esq., Thomas Drohan Waxman Petigrow & Mayle, LLP, Hopewell Junction

Part Two – FLSA Considerations in a Remote Working Environment

The speaker will discuss application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to governmental employees working from home, including guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on tracking teleworkers' compensable hours. The topic will also touch upon the interplay of teleworking under the FLSA with other considerations facing governments such as collective bargaining agreements, N.Y.S. Retirement System requirements and state and municipal policies and procedures.

Kristin Klein Wheaton, Esq., Goldberg Segalla LLP, Buffalo