Labor Relations

NASA/NASB
2014 Labor Relations Conference

September 10-11, 2014
Cornhusker Marriott- Lincoln

**Registration is now closed** CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

NCSA and NASB are excited to announce UNL Softball Coach Rhonda Revelle will present on Building Team Culture during Thursday’s lunch at Labor Relations held September 10 and 11 at the Cornhusker in Lincoln.

Entering her 23rd season in 2015, Revelle owns nearly every Nebraska coaching record. With a Nebraska career record of 843-441, Revelle is the winningest and longest-serving head coach in Husker softball history.

Coach Revelle enjoys the sense of tradition, pride, and community she experiences as a coach for Nebraska. From the players right on through to the fans, it is one big TEAM effort. As a coach, there is a tremendous responsibility to ensure that "the pride of Nebraska" stays intact.

This year’s Thursday session will focus on Preparations for Negotiations, a review of the new statutory system and timelines, steps to prepare for negotiations, topics to bargain and topics not to refuse, successful table tactics, ways to avoid impasse, and the fact finding process.

Friday morning will kick off with a keynote on BCBS v. CHI: The Health Insurance Conundrum and followed by breakout sessions with labor topics that pertain directly to Administrators and School Board Members.

Please join us for professional development, networking, and fun at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln on September 10 and 11 for the 2014 Labor Relations Conference.

Breakout Session topics include:

• Negotiations 101 and 201                          
• Federal Heathcare Update
• Classified Staff Issues
• Reduction in Force
• Collective Bargaining Tactics
• Legislative Update
• Different Types of Leave
• Educators Health Alliance Benefit Update
• Wage Statements and the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act
• Open Bidding and Construction Management
• Hearing Officer
• The Ins and Outs of Criminal Background Checks
• School Finance: A Better Understanding
  
• Mistakes to Avoid in Personnel Actions & Terminations
• A QuESTT for Nebraska
• Effective Educator Efforts, More Than Evaluation           
• School Board and Superintendent Working Together

Conference At A Glance

Wednesday, September 10th

12:30 p.m.     Registration for Preconference
1:00 p.m.       Issues Your Board Will Encounter During Negotiations This Year
                      with Harding & Shultz P.C., L.L.O.
5:00 p.m.       Exhibits Open
                      Exhibitor Reception
8:30 p.m.       Hospitality Suites Open

Thursday, September 11th

7:00 a.m.      Registration & Continental Breakfast
                     Exhibits Open
8:15 a.m.      Welcome & General Session
Keynote        BCBS v. CHI: The Health Insurance Conundrum
                     with Jim Gessford and Ken Babcock
9:30 a.m.      Break
10:00 a.m.    Concurrent Sessions I 
10:45 a.m.    Break
11:15 a.m.    Concurrent Sessions II 
12:00 p.m.    Luncheon and Coach Rhonda Revelle: Building Team Culture
1:00 p.m.      Concurrent Sessions III
1:45 p.m.      Break
2:15 p.m.      Concurrent Sessions IV
3:00 p.m.      Adjourn

*All Cancellation requests must be received no later than Friday, September 5, 2014.

Wednesday Session Information:

Issues Your Board Will Encounter During Negotiations This Year
Harding & Shultz
BuzzFeed isn't your only resource for lists of important facts!  The attorneys from Harding & Shultz have been compiling their list of the items most boards are sure to deal with when they sit down to bargain with teachers this year.  Included in this list are a mixture of old issues that keep coming up (mandatory subjects of bargaining, settling on an array, etc) and new issues that the NSEA is focusing on this year (paid time off, certification elections, etc.)  Come join the H & S lawyers for a fast-paced and practical session that will have you ready when you sit down to bargain.


Thursday Morning Session Information:

The BCBS v. CHI: The Health Insurance Conundrum
with Jim Gessford and Ken Babcock
Most of Nebraska School Districts have health insurance for their employees through the Educators Health Alliance (EHA) with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBS).  This spring and summer Nebraska employer group leaders and employee members with BCBS health insurance coverage began receiving letters about BCBS ongoing negotiations with Denver-based CHI and an August 31, 2014 deadline.  These letters raise many important questions for school employers and employee policy holders.  In this session, Attorney-Jim Gessford and LPS Director of Employee Relations-Ken Babcock will review these developments and hopefully shed some light on the issues and uncertainties surrounding these critical health care insurance matters.

Breakout Session Information:

10:00-10:45 am

Educators Health Alliance Benefit Update – Arbor II
Greg Long, EHA
Kent Trelford Thompson, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Howie Halperin, Linda Kenedy, EHA Wellness
Greg Long (EHA)  will be discussing current status of EHA  and  Kent Trelford-Thompson (BCBSNE) will discuss the BCBSNE and Catholic Health Initiative (CHI) provider contract.  Howie Halperin and Linda Kenedy (EHA Wellness Program) will give an update on the current status of the Wellness program as well as discussing what’s new in the EHA Wellness Program for 2014-2015.

Effective Educator Efforts, More Than Evaluation - Hawthorn
Commissioner Dr. Matt Blomstedt, Nebraska Department of Education

Classified Staff Issues – Ivanhoe
Greg Perry and Josh Schauer, Perry Law Firm
Are classified staff entitled to paid lunch breaks?  Are they expected to pay for training they receive?  How should schools calculate the hours of classified staff that serve in dual roles?  In this session, Greg Perry and Josh Schauer will address these and other matters relating to classified staff.

Reduction in Force – Olive Branch
Kelley Baker, Harding & Shultz
Though they are emotionally difficult, reductions in force are sometimes inevitable.  Kelley Baker will explain the statutory requirements, challenges, and best strategies to plan for and carry out a reduction in force.

11:15am-12:00 pm

Collective Bargaining Tactics – Arbor I
Chad Meisgeier and Kevin Chick, Millard Public Schools
Chad Meisgeier and Kevin Chick will discuss collective bargaining strategies and tactics.  Mr. Meisgeier is an accountant and attorney specializing in labor law and employee compensation. Mr. Chick is the Executive Director of Human Resources at Millard Public Schools.  Mr. Meisgeier will approach the discussion based on his experience as a professional labor negotiator for Millard Public Schools (and previously with Metropolitan Community College), while Mr. Chick will address the practical human resources impacts of tactics.

Federal Heathcare Update 101 – Arbor II
Karen Haase and Bobby Truhe, Harding & Shultz
Still uncertain about whether you are a large employer under the ACA?  Not sure how to account for part-time workers in your employee count?  Unclear on the different types of penalties and taxes contained in the ACA?  Karen and Bobby will review the basics of Obamacare as we currently know them.  This session will provide a "straight talk," fundamental review of the healthcare law as it applies to Nebraska schools.  

Legislative Update – Hawthorn
Dr. Michael Dulaney, Nebraska Council of School Administrators
This session will include an update on current legislation. Interim studies and possible legislative proposals will be reviewed.

Mistakes to Avoid in Personnel Actions & Terminations – Ivanhoe
Greg Perry and Josh Schauer, Perry Law Firm
This session will address some potentially overlooked matters in end-of-employment situations.  Non-renewals are not necessarily automatic and can be costly if not handled properly.  Terminations and cancellations are filled with potential pitfalls, both in legal and practical terms.  Even terminations of classified staff are increasingly complicated.  Greg Perry and Josh Schauer will review important items to consider when considering discharge of an employee.

A QuESTT for Nebraska – Olive Branch
Assistant Commissioner Brian Halstead, Nebraska Department of Education
This session will present a vision for quality and accountability for Nebraska schools while acknowledging that accountability is a living, growing initiative that will take time to implement.  Attendees will be asked to discuss and comment on A QuESTT.

1:00-1:45 pm

School Finance: A Better Understanding – Arbor I
Jen Utemark and Janice Eret, Nebraska Department of Education
From basic State Aid concepts and projections to use of school district funds and budgeting. This session will address a variety of issues related to school finance.

Federal Heathcare Update 201– Arbor II
Karen Haase and Bobby Truhe, Harding & Shultz
If you feel like you have the basics of Obamacare down, but are still uncertain about some of the details, this session is for you.  Karen and Bobby will discuss how to calculate individual employee eligibility for insurance coverage, affirmative strategies for schools of all sizes to consider in reducing their compliance costs, and other issues that Nebraska school districts will want to consider as they move forward with Obamacare implementation. 

Negotiations 101 – Hawthorn
Rex Schultze, Perry Law Firm
During this session Rex Schultze will discuss the basics of the Nebraska teacher negotiation process, including (1) recognition of the teacher bargaining unit, (2) strategies for preparing for the negotiations process, (2) the duties and obligations of the Board of Education and teacher’s union to initiate and participate in the negotiations process, (4) the time-line for beginning and competing the negotiations process, (5) the resource officer/mediation process should negotiations reach impasse by February 8, (6) and the (unlikely) filing and prosecution of a case before the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations.

Payroll and the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act–Ivanhoe
Jim Gessford, Perry Law Firm
Jill Pauley, Lincoln Public Schools
Effective on July 18, 2014 the Legislature amended the Wage Payment and Collection Act (LB 560) requiring employers to provide certain employee’s with a formal “wage statement.”  It also amended the Act effective as of January 1, 2015 to permit “payroll debit cards” (LB 765).  In this session, Jim Gessford (Attorney) and Jill Pauley (LPS Director of Business Operations) will discuss the ins and outs of these payroll changes and the Commissioner of Labor’s new investigative and enforcement authority thereunder.

Being a Hearing Officer – Olive Branch
Kelley Baker, Harding & Shultz
Dan Ernst, Nebraska Council of School Administrators
Having a good understanding of the skills to be a hearing officer in student discipline cases is very valuable for those who want to serve as hearing officers and for principals who present their cases to the officers.  Dan Ernst and Kelley Baker have vast experience in these hearings and will provide both practical and legal insights.

2:15-3:00 pm

School Boards and Superintendents Working Together on Hiring, Firing, and Financial Issues - Arbor I, 2:15-3:00
Facilitator: Marge Beatty, ESU 16
Panel Members: Mike Apple & Larry Ferguson, Hitchcock County Schools; Bill McAllister & Kelly Jelinek, West Holt Public Schools
A panel of superintendents and board members will respond to questions that arise with respect to personnel issues such as hiring, firing, and financial issues with respect to building the budget and administering the adopted budget. Panel members will share their perspectives with respect to their role and responsibility on a variety of district dilemmas. The session is designed to provide clarity and role responsibility for the superintendent and board member and most importantly allow others to understand the importance of a collaborative superintendent/board relationships.

Different Types of Leave – Arbor II
Karen Haase, Harding & Shultz
In 2006 the Nebraska Supreme Court held that employers could no longer have "use it or lose it" vacation leave policies.  Eight years later, school boards still struggle with how to deal with vacation leave and personal leave for certificated and non-certificated staff.  Karen Haase will address the issues associated with a variety of paid leave.

Negotiations 201– Hawthorn
Rex Schultze, Perry Law Firm
This session is for the more advance negotiators and school business personnel.  Here, Rex will cover the “nuts and bolts” of the unique Nebraska comparability process to determine the mid-point of “total compensation” for your teachers, including (1) an in-depth discussion of the components of “total compensation” under the Industrial Relations Act, (2) the nuances of the preparation of a comparability study under the precedents established by the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, the meaning, (3) application of the statutory 98%/102% of the mid-point of total compensation benchmarks for CIR jurisdiction to school districts, and (4) strategies for the use of this information at the bargaining table.

The Ins and Outs of Criminal Background Checks – Ivanhoe
Greg Perry and Josh Schauer, Perry Law Firm
Due to potential liability and negative publicity, background checks on all school personnel are critical.  With a fragmented criminal record keeping system, and with numerous laws, regulations, and ordinances addressing the subject, it is vital that school officials take appropriate measures to ensure sound hiring practices.  Greg Perry and Josh Schauer will review new developments as well as the legal and practical issues involved in checking the backgrounds of potential hires.

Basic Bidding Requirements for School Districts – Olive Branch
Steve Williams, Harding & Shultz
Steve Williams will review basic competitive bidding requirements and general bidding principles such as advertising requirements, rejection of bids, bid splitting, change orders, restrictive product specifications, bond requirements, evaluation of bidder responsiveness and responsibility, evaluation of lowest price, bid mistakes, and bid rejection.