This session will examine how presidential executive orders, federal rule changes, and potential funding cuts to state and local governments could affect Illinois workers and communities. Discussion will address threats to SNAP funding and the ripple effects on the state’s economy, tax revenues, and public education.
Live Event
41st Annual Public Sector Labor Relations & Labor Law Conference
- Categories:
- Labor Law | Labor Relations
- Speakers:
- Gary Bailey | Nicki Bazer | Eric B. Bernard | Steven M. Bierig | Mr. Victor Blackwell, JD | John Brosnan | Robert Bruno | Kevin Camden | Nicholas Christen | Tina Christofalos | Ted Clark | Brian Clauss | 37 more....
- Duration:
- 7 Hours 50 Minutes
- Product Type:
- Live Event
- License:
- Not Applicable
- Location:
- Chicago-Kent College of Law - Chicago, Illinois
Dates
Description
Join us for the 41st Annual Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations & Labor Law Conference, hosted by Chicago-Kent College of Law and the Martin H. Malin Institute for Law & the Workplace. This year’s event will open with a plenary session on the impact of recent presidential Executive Orders and federal funding shifts on public sector labor relations and collective bargaining. The discussion will feature Professor Robert Bruno, Director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois; James Daniels, Deputy Director of the Labor Relations Bureau at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services; and Michael Newman, Deputy Director of Illinois Council 31 of AFSCME. Attendees will also hear updates from both Illinois public sector labor boards and can choose from a variety of breakout panels on topics including mediation and arbitration, education, DEI, legislative changes, federal grants, and more.
The conference will be held in person at Chicago-Kent College of Law and will not be available virtually. Most individual conference sessions will be available via on-demand viewing after the conference date.
Please note the program schedule is subject to change.
Speaker
Gary Bailey Related Seminars and Products
Attorney
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council
Gary Bailey has served as a labor attorney for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council for over 35 years. Gary is involved in negotiations, grievance arbitrations and interest arbitrations on behalf of sworn peace officers and law enforcement personnel across the State of Illinois.
Gary is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment Law. Gary served on the LEL Section Council for eight years and is currently a Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. Gary has been a member of the Section’s State and Local Government Bargaining and Employment Law Committee since 1992 and was the Union Co-Chairman of the Committee from 2009-2012. Gary contributes each year to the Committee’s Annual Report on Interest Arbitrations that occur across the country.
Gary received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and his juris doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Gary was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 2008.
Nicki Bazer Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Franczek P.C.
Nicki Bazer serves as co-chair of the firm's Higher Education Practice Group. Nicki focuses her legal practice on policy and governance issues, student privacy rights, teacher evaluation, teacher misconduct issues, educator licensure compliance, general public school compliance, as well as charter schools. As former general counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), she provides valuable insight and counsel to school districts on the regulations and reform initiatives endorsed by ISBE. Nicki regularly represents clients in both state and federal court, in administrative hearings on teacher matters, and before the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She represented Chicago Public Schools during its most recent labor negotiations with the nation’s largest teachers union resulting in a five-year agreement. Nicki also works with higher education institutions on labor issues, intellectual property matters and student matters.
Nicki is a frequent speaker on school law matters, specifically on student data security and privacy and teacher performance and evaluation. Nicki has made presentations for the Illinois Council of School Attorneys, the Illinois Association of Administrators of Special Education, the Illinois Association of School Boards and Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators.
While at ISBE, she provided legal advice and support to districts under direct state oversight. She facilitated state-wide working groups on data security as it relates to student privacy, as well as the state school funding formula. As ISBE’s General Counsel, Nicki oversaw the legislative agenda of the agency, including drafting legislation, working with education stakeholders and testifying before the Illinois General Assembly.
Prior to her time at ISBE, Nicki served as Bureau Chief for the Disability Rights Bureau at the Illinois Attorney General. She completed a federal judicial clerkship with Chief Judge Janet Hall in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut. During law school, Nicki was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar and an editor with the Review of Law and Social Change.
Eric B. Bernard Related Seminars and Products
Associate
Petrarca, Gleason, Boyle & Izzo, LLC
Eric Bernard represents school districts in many different capacities, including litigation, labor disputes (including grievance arbitration and unfair labor practice disputes), employment discrimination matters, property tax exemption disputes, and general advice and counseling. His litigation experience encompasses federal Section 1983 claims, employee discrimination claims, FOIA and Open Meetings Act litigation, Wage Payment and Collection Act claims, contractual disputes, real estate matters, and tort claims. With respect to labor disputes and litigation, Eric has litigated before numerous arbitrators, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court. Eric practices regularly in both state and federal court.
Steven M. Bierig Related Seminars and Products
Attorney-Arbitrator-Mediator
Steven M. Bierig is engaged in the full-time practice of arbitration and mediation specializing in labor and employment disputes on a national basis. He has received both Ad Hoc appointments as well as being a member of numerous arbitration panels. Those panels have included the USPS and its constituent Unions, the City of Chicago and its constituent Unions, the Chicago Board of Education and Chicago Teachers Union, the State of Illinois and AFSCME, the National Elevator Bargaining Association, the NTEU and IRS, the FAA and NATCA, the AFA, IBT, ALPA and United Airlines. Mr. Bierig has served as a contract mediator for the EEOC and as the mediator of medical disputes between the City of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7. Mr. Bierig has served as the Fact-Finder for the Chicago Board of Education and the Chicago Teachers Union. Mr. Bierig is a referee for the National Mediation Board and is affiliated with FMCS, AAA and the Illinois Department of Labor. He serves on the roster of arbitrators for the Illinois Labor and Educational Relations Board. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Mr. Bierig has served as an Adjunct Professor at IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law and the UIC School of Law. He currently serves as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He has written numerous articles on labor and employment issues and lectures frequently on the topic.
Mr. Bierig received his J.D. with high honors from IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law. Prior to becoming a full time neutral, Mr. Bierig was engaged in the practice of labor law on the management side as a Senior Attorney Supervisor at the City of Chicago Law Department and was an attorney in the Labor and Employment Department at the Chicago Office of Katten Muchin & Zavis.
Mr. Victor Blackwell, JD Related Seminars and Products
Executive Director
Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
Victor E. Blackwell was appointed Executive Director of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board in February 1996. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Blackwell served as Chief of Prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulations for five years. He was also Chicago Personnel Manager for the Illinois Secretary of State from 1987 to 1991. He was Personnel Analyst for the Illinois Secretary of State, an Adjudicator for the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, and a Securities Legal Intern and Reference Library Intern for the Illinois Secretary of State. Mr. Blackwell received his Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University's School of Law where he graduated with honors, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois in Political Science with triple minors in Economics, Sociology and Spanish.
John Brosnan Related Seminars and Products
Special Counsel
Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
John F. Brosnan has been Special Counsel to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board since 2012. Prior thereto, he was the Executive Director of the Illinois Labor Relations Board for seven years, during which time he was also the agency's acting General Counsel for three years. Prior thereto, he was the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board for two and one-half years, and before that, an Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Labor Relations Board for seventeen and one-half years. Mr. Brosnan is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Robert Bruno Related Seminars and Products
Professor & Director, Labor Education Program (Chicago)
University of Illinois Chicago
Robert Bruno is Director of the Labor Education Program and a Professor of Labor and Employment, as well as the director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
In addition to publishing numerous scholarly articles on a diverse range of labor relations subjects, Professor Bruno has also co-authored numerous research reports on labor unions, workplace practices and labor and employment policy topics.
He is also the author of five books; Steelworker Alley: How Class Works In Youngstown (1999), Reforming the Chicago Teamsters: The Story of Local 705 (2003), Justified by Work: The Meaning of Faith in Chicago’s Working-Class Churches (2008), A Fight for the Soul of Public Education: The Story of the Chicago Teachers Strike (co-author 2016), which was awarded the United Association for Labor Education Best Book award in 2017 and his latest, What Work Is (2024).
Professor Bruno has given expert testimony to the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce, as well as the Illinois House and Senate Committees on Labor and Commerce. Dr. Bruno has served on the Illinois Future of Work Task Force and currently serves on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, Labor and Employment Relations Climate Jobs Institute Advisory Board Chair. He is also the Chair of the Big Ten Universities’ Labor Studies Group.
Dr. Bruno has been a frequent commentator on labor relations for both regional and national media and has served as a commentator for numerous newspapers.
Professor Bruno has taught many different labor relations courses, specializing in collective bargaining, labor history and American politics, as well as given numerous public presentations on labor relations.
He is the co-editor of Labor Studies Journal and is an executive board member of the United Association for Labor Education and Chicago Chapter of the Labor Employment Relations Association.
Dr. Bruno is the 2025 winner of the Labor and Employment Relation Association, Susan C. Eaton Scholar-Practitioner Award. The award is given annually to a member of the Association who has achieved distinction as both a practitioner and a scholar in the field of labor and employment relations.
Kevin Camden Related Seminars and Products
Attorney
Camden Law Office, LLC
Kevin P. Camden is the owner of Camden Law Office in Downers Grove, Illinois. Camden Law Office, established in 2008, has a significant real estate practice, estate planning practice, and probate practice. Kevin graduated from Norther Illinois University with honors in 1994, earning his juris doctor from John Marshall Law School, Chicago, in 1997. In November 1997, Kevin was admitted to the Illinois bar.
Kevin is a member of the DuPage Couty real estate committee (co-chair 2022-23; chair
2023-24), an ISBA member, and a member of the real estate section council and task force on the unauthorized practice of law.
Also a labor arbitrator and mediator, Kevin draws over 27 years of experience in public sector labor and employment, particularly related to law enforcement.
Nicholas Christen Related Seminars and Products
General Counsel & Director of Field and Organizing
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Nicholas Christen is the General Counsel and Director of Field and Organizing at the Illinois Federation of Teachers. He advises leaders and staff on issues affecting the 100,000+ members of the union, including collective bargaining, organizing, discipline, discrimination, organizing, healthcare, and retirement. Nicholas has successfully advocated before private and public sector labor boards, resolved difficult legislative and administrative roadblocks impacting workers’ rights, led negotiations for units large and small in high-stakes negotiations, and advocated for union members from the shop floor to the Court of Appeals. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Miami University and his J.D. from Salmon P. Chase College of Law.
Tina Christofalos Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP
Tina Christofalos concentrates her school law practice on issues arising throughout all stages of the employment relationship. She advises clients on matters such as workplace discrimination, health and safety, wage and hour issues, employee handbooks, termination, and disciplinary action. Tina also counsels employers in traditional labor matters including collective-bargaining, grievance arbitration, unfair labor practice charges, and has extensive experience representing school districts in administrative hearings before state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Ted Clark Related Seminars and Products
Founding Partner
Clark Baird Smith LLP
TED CLARK is a founding partner of the law firm of Clark Baird Smith LLP. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree from Syracuse University and received a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. With over 50 years experience, Ted represents both public and private sector management clients with respect to a wide variety of collective bargaining and employment law matters, including mediation and interest arbitration.
Ted is a co-author with Judge Harry Edwards and Professor Charles Craver of Labor Relations Law in the Public Sector: Cases and Materials (Bobbs-Merrill 1974), the first law school textbook in the area of public sector labor relations. The fourth edition was published in 1992. For many years he taught the public sector labor law course at Northwestern University Law School. Ted has also written numerous articles and publications that have been published by such journals as the UCLA Law Review, the Journal of Law and Education, the Wisconsin Law Review, the Minnesota Law Review, the Oregon Law Review, and the Illinois Bar Journal. For the past thirty, he has been listed in the book The Best Lawyers in America. In 2005 Ted was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Bar Association’s State and Local Government Committee. In 2010 Ted was the first recipient of the American Bar Association’s Arvid Anderson Public Sector Labor and Employment Law Lawyer of the Year Award.
Brian Clauss Related Seminars and Products
Arbitrator Mediator Attorney
Clauss ADR, Inc.
Brian Clauss is a neutral arbitrator and mediator who has served on numerous arbitration and mediation rosters and panels since 2004. Brian has issued over a thousand reasoned arbitration decisions and mediated hundreds of disputes in a wide range of industries and professions. A seasoned attorney who has conducted hundreds of trials, his legal career began as a prosecutor in Chicago, and he later represented Cook County, Illinois in labor, employment, and civil matters.
In 2009, Brian was inducted to the National Academy of Arbitrators and has served on a number of committees, including Chair for the Central Midwest Region and twice as Chair for the Program Committee for the Fall Education Conference.
Brian is also a frequent lecturer at local, national and international continuing legal education events. He has presented numerous training programs, webinars, and workshops for many law schools, bar associations and other organizations. Brian is a frequent author on a variety of legal topics.
In addition to his dispute resolution practice, Brian was also the Executive Director of the Veterans Legal Support Center at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago – a pro bono legal clinic that provides assistance to veterans in VA benefit appeals. Brian is also part of the team that developed the new ADR Concentration at the University of Arizona Rogers School of Law. His civic and professional activities include: Labor & Employment Relations Association Board of Directors, Chicago and Arizona chapters, North Suburban Bar Association Board of Directors, Lake Forest College Alumni Board, Lutheran General Hospital Oncology Advisory Board, and the German American Cultural Center.
Robb Craddock Related Seminars and Products
Executive Director
University of Illinois
Robb B. Craddock currently serves as Executive Director of Labor and Employee Relations within Illinois Human Resources at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this role, Mr. Craddock acts as the University’s chief labor relations spokesperson and oversees the administration of 18 collective bargaining agreements covering Civil Service employees and 4 agreements covering Academic employees. He also represents the Chancellor and Provost in grievance proceedings.
Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Mr. Craddock served as Deputy Director of Labor Relations for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) from September 2008 to January 2015. In that capacity, he managed labor relations on behalf of the Office of the Governor, representing the largest employer in the State of Illinois. His work involved negotiations with a broad range of labor unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Teamsters, and various trade unions. In 2019, Mr. Craddock returned to CMS in collaboration with the University of Illinois to serve as Chief Labor Relations Negotiator and Executive Branch Labor Relations Advisor. During this tenure, he successfully negotiated a resolution with AFSCME Council 31, concluding a four-year labor dispute. In October 2013, Mr. Craddock accepted the James Baird Leadership Award on behalf of CMS, presented by the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association (IPELRA). This annual award recognizes outstanding leadership and achievement in public sector labor relations in Illinois.
Mr. Craddock is an active member of the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association and serves on the board of IPELRA. He holds a Master of Public Administration with a graduate certificate in Public Sector Labor Relations from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Illinois University
Tamara Cummings Related Seminars and Products
General Counsel
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council
Tamara Cummings serves as General Counsel to the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, a large public sector union representing law enforcement bargaining units in all areas of labor and employment relations. She is also a fellow of the ABA College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Previously, she was in private practice and represented Chicago Police Officers in administrative, criminal and civil matters. She received her bachelor’s degree from the
James Daniels Related Seminars and Products
Deputy General Counsel – Labor Relations
Illinois Department of Central Management Services
James Daniels is the Deputy Director of Labor Relations at the State of Illinois’ Central Management Services. He is responsible for managing the labor initiatives for the forty agencies under the office of the Governor, which include the negotiation of State union contracts, the resolution of statewide grievances, and the disposition of issues arising from the creation of new agencies, legislative transfers, layoffs, closures, and the implementation of new statewide policies such as remote work, health insurance and artificial intelligence. Previously he served as counsel for the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, in which position he negotiated over a hundred collective bargaining agreements and litigated numerous grievances throughout the State of Illinois, to include many interest arbitrations for police, correctional and deputy units. He has also successfully represented his clients in the Fifth District Appellate Court. He brings with him a wealth of experience from both the union and management perspective, as well as a good working relationship with the representatives of the dozens of unions that represent State employees.
James is a graduate of John Marshall Law School. He currently lives and works in Springfield, Illinois.
Michael K. Durkin, Attorney Related Seminars and Products
Storino, Ramello & Durkin
Michael K. Durkin is a founding partner of the law firm of Storino, Ramello & Durkin, and has been in practice since 1978. Mr. Durkin represents a wide variety of public sector management clients, in the capacity of both corporate counsel and special counsel with respect to a wide variety of collective bargaining and employment law matters. Mr. Durkin is listed as a Leading Lawyer and by Super Lawyers in Illinois. Mr. Durkin received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Sharon Fairley Related Seminars and Products
Unviersity of Chicago
Sharon Fairley is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and has taught at the Law School since 2015. She became a Professor from Practice and began teaching full-time at the law school in 2019. Sharon's teaching responsibilities include criminal procedure, evidence, policing, and federal criminal law.
Before joining the Law School, Professor Fairley spent eight years as a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, investigating and trying criminal cases involving illegal firearms possession, narcotics conspiracy, bank robbery/murder, murder for hire and economic espionage, among other criminal acts. She also served as the First Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General. In December 2015, following the controversial officer-involved shooting death of Laquan McDonald, Professor Fairley was appointed to serve as the Chief Administrator of the Independent Police Review Authority, the agency responsible for police misconduct investigations. She was also responsible for creating and building Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The focus of Professor Fairley's academic inquiry is criminal justice reform with an emphasis on constitutional policing and police accountability. She frequently writes and speaks about use of force by law enforcement, civilian oversight of law enforcement, and various police reform strategies.
Professor Fairley graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a BS degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and also holds an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice.
Shawn Flaherty Related Seminars and Products
Senior Partner
Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd.
Shawn P. Flaherty is a senior partner with Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd. in Naperville. He has represented fire protection districts, fire and police commissions, fire and police pension boards, townships, and other units of local government in corporate and labor matters for nearly thirty years. He frequently attends board meetings as general counsel and has served as an administrative hearing officer. He has co-authored several editions of the IAFPD Handbook for Illinois Fire Protection District Trustees, among numerous other publications. He is a frequent speaker at fire service and public pension conferences, has taught Fire Officer classes, and he co-created and remains an instructor for the IAFPD Essential Trustee Training certification program.
Jamie Franklin Related Seminars and Products
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Supervisor of the Civil Litigation Clinic
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Jamie Franklin joined the Chicago-Kent College of Law faculty in August 2020 as supervising attorney of the C-K Law Group’s Civil Litigation Clinic. Her practice areas include employment discrimination and retaliation, wage and hour law, qui tam (False Claims Act) litigation, class actions, and other complex litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. She also teaches employment-related classes at the Law School. More information about her clinic’s cases can be found at the Civil Litigation Clinic’s website.
From 2011 to 2020, Professor Franklin owned and operated the Franklin Law Firm in Chicago, where she litigated extensively in federal and state courts nationwide on behalf of plaintiffs in the areas of employment discrimination, class actions, wage and hour law, employee benefits, consumer law, qui tam (False Claims Act) and whistleblower litigation, oil and gas royalties, and historic preservation law. Her goal was to provide the highest level of legal representation to those who were historically outmaneuvered in the legal arena. She also successfully resolved many employment disputes in mediation and arbitration and handled numerous appeals.
Before starting her own firm, Professor Franklin was a partner and an associate at Meites, Mulder, Mollica & Glink, a plaintiff-side firm in Chicago that specialized in employment matters, class actions, and consumer law. There, she practiced in federal courts throughout the country, seeking to bring cases that served two goals: to help the employee or plaintiff in need and to have a broader impact on an area of the law affecting plaintiffs. Prior to that, she practiced consumer law at Edelman Combs Latturner & Goodwin. Professor Franklin’s interest in plaintiff’s law extended to law school, where she was awarded a Consumer Law Fellowship while attending the University of Chicago Law School that enabled her to represent consumers at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
Professor Franklin is a member of the Illinois State Bar and the federal Trial Bar, and she is admitted to numerous federal circuit and district courts. She is rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and was selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer each year from 2017 until she joined Chicago-Kent's faculty.
Mike Fredendall Related Seminars and Products
Associate General Counsel
Illinois Education Association-U
Naomi Frisch Related Seminars and Products
Attorney
Asher, Gittler & D'Alba, Ltd.
Naomi Frisch is an Attorney at Asher, Gittler & D’Alba, Ltd. in Chicago, Illinois, where she represents unions, individual workers, and benefit funds. Her practice focuses on preserving workers’ rights and benefits in both the Public and Private sectors. In August of 2025, Naomi began a three-year term as Union co-chair of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s EEO Committee. Naomi received a Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, from Northwestern University, a Masters of Music with distinction from DePaul University, and had a full-time career as a professional musician prior to earning her J.D. magna cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2017. At Chicago-Kent, Naomi earned certificates in Labor and Employment law and Litigation and Dispute Resolution (LADR), was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and was the 2017 recipient of the Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize. For the last 25 years, Naomi has advocated for Union musicians at the bargaining table and in the workplace, and she has been fortunate to represent many musicians in a variety of legal matters since passing the bar. Naomi is also certified as a mediator by the Chicago Center for Conflict Resolution and mediates for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Thaddeus H. Goodchild Related Seminars and Products
Deputy General Counsel
Chicago Teachers Union
Thad has served as in-house counsel for the Chicago Teachers Union since 2012, and as Deputy General Counsel since 2019. He represents the CTU and its members in collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, discipline and discharge proceedings, labor board proceedings, and related litigation. The Chicago Teachers Union represents more than 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in schools funded by City of Chicago School District 299, and by extension, the over 300,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third-largest teachers local in the United States. Thad holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and a law degree and certificate in labor and employment law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Nick Gutierrez Related Seminars and Products
Staff Attorney/Investigator
Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
Nick Gutierrez is a Staff Attorney/Investigator for the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. He has been employed by the Board since 2016. He handles investigations of unfair labor practice charges and representation petitions for the Board and serves as an Administrative Law Judge. Nick also provides the Board with updates on pending legislation. He received his law degree from the DePaul University College of Law in 2014.
Keith A. Karlson Related Seminars and Products
Police Benevolent Labor Committee
For more than 20 years Keith A. Karlson has been representing first responders and their unions. Keith serves as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Police Benevolent Labor Committee (“PBLC”). In both Illinois and Indiana, Keith has had success representing firefighters, police officers, and their unions in the courtroom, on appeal, at the bargaining table, and before administrative tribunals.
Keith has taught several seminars regarding administrative, statutory, and civil rights protections afforded public safety officers and their unions. Mr. Karlson has taught university undergraduate and graduate level classes relating to civil liability for police officers, law for fire supervisors, and collective bargaining in the public sector. He has published several articles concerning labor law and the workplace rights of first responders. In a seminal decision, Mr. Karlson successfully argued for recognition of a privilege protecting communications between a police officer and his/her union representative, a privilege previously not recognized in federal court.
Mr. Karlson is licensed to practice in Illinois and Indiana State Courts, the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois (trial bar member), the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, and the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Sixth and Seventh Circuits. In 2013, the Force Science Institute certified Mr. Karlson in the application of human factors to police use of force incidents. Later, he was also certified by the Force Science Institute regarding the use of body cameras and other police related recordings.
Since 2019, Keith has been designated by Super Lawyers. This peer designation is awarded only to a select number of accomplished attorneys in each state. The Super Lawyers selection process takes into account peer recognition, professional achievement in legal practice, and other cogent factors.
In November of 2024, Keith will be installed into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Keith is honored to be elected to be a Fellow of the College. Election as a Fellow is the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication, and excellence.
Helen J. Kim Related Seminars and Products
General Counsel
Illinois Labor Relations Board
Helen Kim has been the General Counsel for the Illinois Labor Relations Board since November 1, 2016. Prior to her position at the ILRB, she was General Counsel at the Illinois Department of Labor, the state agency charged with administering and enforcing various labor laws, including the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, the Wage Payment and Collection Act, and the Prevailing Wage Act. Helen began her state service as labor relations counsel with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, representing state agencies in arbitrations as well as cases before the ILRB. She was also an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Civil Actions Bureau of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where she represented Cook County and its elected officials in labor and employment matters. Helen received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Michael Kuczwara Jr. Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Laner Muchin
Michael joined Laner Muchin in 2015. He concentrates on representing public and private sector employers in numerous areas of labor and employment law, including collective bargaining negotiations, grievance and interest arbitrations. He also represents employers before administrative agencies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Illinois Department of Labor. Additionally, he represents public employers in representation petitions and unfair labor practice charges filed before the Illinois Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board.
Michael has tried fifteen jury trials to verdict, both in state and federal court, and he has successfully argued in the Illinois Appellate Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
HONORS, MEMBERSHIP, PUBLICATIONS
● DePaul University College of Law: CALI Award Winner - Legal Writing,
Journal of Sports
● Law and Contemporary Problems - Periodicals & Articles Editor, Business
Law Society – Vice President of Communications & Marketing
Maureen Lemon Related Seminars and Products
Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd.
Marron Mahoney Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Laner Muchin
Marron joined Laner Muchin as Of Counsel in 2022 and became a partner at the Firm in 2024. She concentrates her practice on representing public and private sector employers in numerous areas of labor and employment law, including collective bargaining negotiations, grievances, investigations
and employment counseling.
Prior to joining Laner Muchin, Marron was the Chief Legal Counsel for the
Will County Executive’s Office and the General Counsel and Chief of Staff for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, where she gained experience in collective bargaining negotiations, grievance resolutions and employment counseling. She has also practiced at Am Law 50 law firms and has argued in the Illinois Appellate Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Additionally, Marron served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Sharon Prost of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Judge James Holderman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Justice Laura Liu of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District.
Marron also is a moot court coach at Loyola Law School, where she previously taught legal writing as an adjunct professor.
Martin H. Malin Related Seminars and Products
Chairman
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Martin H. Malin is Professor Emeritus at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, where he taught for 41 years, founded the Institute for Law and the Workplace, and served as Director of the Institute for 25 years. He joined the Chicago-Kent faculty in 1980 after serving as law clerk to United States District Judge Robert E. DeMascio in Detroit and on the faculty of The Ohio State University. A renown scholar on the law governing the workplace, he has published more than 80 articles and seven books on labor law. Professor Malin has served as National Chair of the Labor Relations and Employment Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools, Secretary of the ABA Section on Labor and Employment Law, member of the Executive Committee of the Labor Law Group, member of the Board of Governors and Vice President of the National Academy of Arbitrators, and member of the Board of Governors of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. In October 2009, President Obama appointed Professor Malin as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel. President Obama reappointed Professor Malin in 2014 and Malin served until May 2017. In 2016, the ABA presented Professor Malin with the Arvid Anderson Award for lifetime contributions to public sector labor law. He has a B.A. from Michigan State University and a J.D. from George Washington University.
Mr. Jerry J. Marzullo Related Seminars and Products
Shareholder
Asher Gittler & D'Alba Ltd.
Jerry Marzullo is a shareholder in the firm of Asher, Gittler & D’Alba Ltd. and concentrates his practice in the representation of Labor Unions and Pension Funds. He has successfully represented clients in both pension and labor matters, including collective bargaining, discipline, arbitrations, pension hearings (representing Pension Boards), administrative review, and declaratory judgment proceedings at Administrative, State, and Federal Levels. Jerry has considerable experience in both litigation and appellate work with numerous decisions. He also serves as Deputy General Counsel for the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association and the Metropolitan Alliance of Police. He serves as an Advisory Committee Member for the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Conference and on the Board of the Chicago Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association.
Jerry received his Juris Doctorate from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a dual concentration in Strategic Management and Managerial and Organizational Behavior.
He has previously taught undergraduate, Master’s Degree, and Law School courses in various labor and employment law topics. Jerry has been a frequent speaker on both labor and pension-related issues for the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association, the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, the Associated Firefighters of Illinois, the Illinois Professional Firefighters Association, the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association, and the Chicago-Kent Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Conference and the American Bar Association. Jerry has authored legal articles for publication, including, most recently, the Illinois Public Employee Relations Report (A Statement of Facts: The Reality of Public Safety Employee Pension Funds in the State of Illinois; Vol. 37 No. 3; Possible Wisdom and Wit regarding the Arbitration of Discipline; Vol. 39 No. 3). He has also helped train command staff police officers and firefighters at the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy (NIPSTA).
Jerry is a City of Berwyn Battalion Chief (IAFF-AFFI Local 506), where he currently has 24 years of creditable service and is former President of the City of Berwyn Firefighter's Pension Fund and former Vice-President of IAFF-AFFI Local 506. He is a Certified Fire and Arson Investigator, Advanced Technician Firefighter, and Chief Fire Officer.
Finally, and most importantly, he is happily married to one of Chicago's finest Police Lieutenants and has two evil pugs that he barely restrains from taking over the world.
Susan M. Matta Related Seminars and Products
Shareholder
Allison, Slutsky & Kennedy, P.C.
Susan is a shareholder with Allison, Slutsky & Kennedy, P.C. Her union career began in 1995, when she entered the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute’s Apprenticeship Program, and later became a staff union organizer at UFCW Local 951, where she worked on NLRB election campaigns and corporate pressure campaigns. After graduating from law school, Susan served as a Law Fellow with Service Employees International Union on a corporate pressure campaign against a local hospital chain, where she represented individuals who were sued for medical debt. Susan then served as the General Counsel for Service Employees International Union, Local 73 for almost ten years, where she represented both public and private employees. As in-house General Counsel, she gained invaluable and extensive knowledge of the institutional concerns and needs of unions, conducted numerous trainings for both staff and members, and gained extensive experience representing the various types of public and private sector employees in negotiations, arbitrations, State and Federal Court, the National Labor Relations Board, Illinois Labor Relations Board, Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, Illinois Department of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In 2013, Susan transitioned to private practice with Carmell Charone Widmer Moss & Barr, where she became a partner and focused on representing firefighter clients. She is also experienced at representing firefighter unions in contract negotiations, contract enforcement, interest arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, and court litigation. In 2019, she joined Asher, Gittler & D’Alba, Ltd. as a partner. She joined Allison, Slutsky & Kennedy, P.C. in 2022, where she continues to represent firefighters and other public and private sector clients.
Tom Mazur Related Seminars and Products
Attorney at Law and Firefighter/Paramedic
Village of Oak Park
Thomas Mazur is an experienced attorney specializing in workers’ compensation and public safety pension cases, dedicated to protecting the rights and benefits of injured workers and first responders. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by public safety professionals, Thomas combines his legal expertise with firsthand knowledge gained from his career as a firefighter. This unique perspective allows him to advocate passionately and effectively for his clients, ensuring they receive the compensation and support they deserve. Based in Marengo, Thomas is committed to serving his community both in the courtroom and on the front lines. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, supporting local events, and mentoring young firefighters. Whether fighting for justice in legal matters or responding to emergencies, Thomas brings integrity, dedication, and compassion to everything he does.
Joe Moriarty Related Seminars and Products
Arbitrator and Mediator
Moriarty Mediation
Joseph Moriarty is a labor arbitrator and mediator based in Chicago, Illinois. He is member of the FMCA, AAA, IELRB, IPLRB and NMB rosters of labor arbitrators. For 37 years before becoming an arbitrator, Mr. Moriarty practiced labor law in several public sector roles and in the private sector.
John Motylinski Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo, Ltd.
John E. Motylinski represents local government entities, with a focus on fire protection districts, public pension funds, municipalities, townships, and school districts. He provides services in matters involving labor and employment, personnel issues, public pensions, local government liability issues, student issues, landlord/tenant disputes, and litigation.
Mr. Motylinski advises and represents clients in all aspects of local government law. He assists employers and fire and police commissions in the hiring, promotion, and discipline of personnel. He also represents employers in the collective bargaining process, as well as other labor relations matters. Mr. Motylinski regularly represents clients before courts and administrative agencies, and routinely attends public board meetings as corporate counsel.
EDUCATION
- University of Illinois College of Law
J.D., summa cum laude, 2015
Articles Editor, University of Illinois Law Review - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A. Political Science, 2010
Taylor Muzzy Related Seminars and Products
Jacobs, Burns, Orlove & Hernandez LLP
Taylor is from a working-class community and a family of public employees and is committed to supporting every employee in every aspect of their working lives. He guides public pension funds regarding fiduciary duties, plan governance “best practices,” investments, open government issues, benefits eligibility and administrative review, litigation, and tax qualification issues. He assists labor unions with contract negotiations, grievance and interest arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, elections, organizing drives, and representation petitions. He helps individual employees deal with “wage theft,” employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and family and medical leave violations.
Education
- B.A., Boston University
- J.D. with a Certificate in Labor and Employment Law,* Chicago-Kent College of Law
* The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law, and the certificate is not a requirement to practice law in Illinois.
Mike Newman Related Seminars and Products
Deputy Director
AFSCME Council 31
Mike Newman is the Deputy Director of AFSCME Council 31 and an AFSCME International Vice President. He is also a Vice President of the Illinois AFL-CIO. Newman joined Council 31 as Legislative Director in 1982, playing an important role in the passage of public sector collective bargaining laws.
AFSCME Council 31 represents more than 90,000 active and retired employees of state, county and city governments, state universities, local school districts and nonprofit agencies across Illinois. Newman has been involved in every facet of the union’s work, including overseeing the negotiation and administration of hundreds of collective bargaining agreements and supervising the union’s legal and contract administration teams.
Newman previously taught in the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois where he also earned a Master of Labor and Industrial Relations degree. Prior to that, Newman was a union organizer in the garment industry in the Southeastern United States.
Tyler Redd Related Seminars and Products
Legal Counsel and Research Director
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Tyler Redd (she/her) is Legal Counsel for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, where she represents locals across the state in collective bargaining, arbitration, and labor-relations matters. Prior to joining the IFT, she was a staff attorney with the National Legal Advocacy Network, partnering with worker centers to expand access to justice for low-wage workers. Tyler earned her J.D. and Certificate in Labor and Employment Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she was Editor of the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal, Vice President of the Labor and Employment Law Society, and a Peggy Browning Fellow.
Robert G. Reiter Jr. Related Seminars and Products
Chicago Federation of Labor
Bob Reiter is the President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, the third largest central labor council of the national AFL-CIO. He previously served two terms as Secretary-Treasurer of the CFL from July 2010 to May 2018.
Bob is a third-generation member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. Throughout his career, he has worked as a labor attorney, an organizer, a negotiator and a lobbyist. In his role as president of the CFL, Bob serves on executive and advisory boards for labor, civic, and community organizations across Chicago and Cook County. His involvement with these organizations allows him to represent the interests of labor and protect the fundamental rights of all workers.
Bob holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science from Eastern Illinois University, and a Juris Doctor degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Abby Rogers Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Engler, Callaway, Baasten & Sraga, LLC
Abby Rogers maintains a broad-based labor and employment practice, with decades of experience representing governmental entities and private sector clients. Ms. Rogers focuses on general employment relationship issues, labor relations matters and collective bargaining. Ms. Rogers divides her practice equally between counseling clients and defending clients in litigation, including labor arbitration, administrative and judicial proceedings. She has extensive experience with the FMLA and with medical and disability issues in the workplace. In addition, Ms. Rogers regularly lectures and conducts workforce training on issues related to non-discrimination and anti-harassment, managing medical issues and leaves of absence in the workplace, and managing other workplace concerns. She is a contributing author on “Sex Discrimination and Harassment,” to the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education publication Employment Discrimination: Unlawful Grounds and Prevention (2021) and a contributing author on “Freedom of Speech in the Public Workplace,” to the American Bar Association publication Municipal Law Desk Book (2015).
Julia Roundtree Livingston Related Seminars and Products
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager
Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
Daniel J. Siblik Related Seminars and Products
Vice President
Segal
Dan is a Vice President and Actuary, working primarily with staff in Chicago’s office. He has more than 30 years of experience in benefits consulting and focuses primarily on public sector pension consulting. Dan’s clients have included statewide pension plans, municipalities and counties, boards, transit authorities, public safety plans as well as Native American systems. Dan has written and/or co-authored several public sector retirement industry articles and studies and occasionally speaks at industry and actuarial conferences.
Rebekah Smith Related Seminars and Products
Arbitrator & Impartial Neutral
Seven Tree Solutions
Since 2005, Rebekah Smith, Esq., has served as an impartial neutral with a focus on labor and employment matters since 2020. She is on the labor arbitration panels of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the American Arbitration Association, the Labor Relations Connection, and the National Mediation Board, the fact-finding and mediator panels of the Maine Labor Relations Board, and multiple permanent panels. Ms. Smith is in her second term as a neutral Alternate Chair on the Maine Labor Relations Board. She has provided arbitration and mediation training in various settings including AAA and the NAA/URI Schmidt Center Labor Arbitration Conference and has published several articles on mediation and arbitration. She has completed the NAA New England Chapter Salon Training Program and has been mentored by multiple NAA arbitrators. Ms. Smith is a recent Past Board President of LERA–Maine and remains a member of the Board of Directors and is also a member of National LERA and other local LERA chapters.
Melissa Sobota Related Seminars and Products
Partner
Franczek P.C.
Melissa concentrates her practice in both labor and employment law. Her labor experience includes collective bargaining for schools and higher education institutions, municipalities, and county employers. She has experience handling union certification petitions, severance petitions, as well as litigating unfair labor practice charges and grievances before the Illinois Labor Relations Board and Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. She has also advised employers on medical and insurance benefit plan issues in relation to contract negotiations and employee disputes.
Her employment practice includes the defense of employers against discrimination cases filed state court, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. She has also defended employers before the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, the Illinois Department of Labor, the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
Her higher education practice includes negotiating collective bargaining agreements, as well as handling grievance arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and representation petitions before the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Board on behalf of colleges and universities.
Prior to private practice, Melissa worked with the corporation counsel of the City of Chicago in the Labor Division and defended the City in grievance arbitrations regarding contract disputes, discipline, and medical and benefits plans.
Melissa is a member of the American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section), the Illinois State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section), and the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association.
Kimberly Stevens Related Seminars and Products
Executive Director
Illinois Labor Relations Board
Kimberly Stevens is the Executive Director of the Illinois Labor Relations Board. Prior to her current position with the Labor Board, Ms. Stevens was most recently Deputy General Counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education. Ms. Stevens has also worked for the Illinois Labor Relations Board as an Administrative Law Judge, and she previously served as labor relations counsel for the Department of Central Management Services, representing the State of Illinois in contract negotiations, arbitration hearings, and cases before the ILRB. Ms. Stevens began her legal career at the Illinois Attorney General’s office in the civil trials bureau, where she was responsible for government defense litigation in State and federal courts as well as administrative matters before State merit boards and commissions. Ms. Stevens received her Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in history, political science, and humanities from Valparaiso University and her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the Valparaiso University School of Law.
Ellen Maureen Strizak Related Seminars and Products
General Counsel
Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
Ellen Maureen Strizak is the General Counsel of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. She began working for the Illinois Educational Labor Relations as a Board Writer in 2002. Ms. Strizak was Staff Counsel for the Illinois Labor Relations Board from 2006 until 2010. She returned to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board in 2010 as Associate General Counsel and became General Counsel in 2019. Ms. Strizak received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa and her J.D. from the John Marshall Law School. Prior to law school, Ms. Strizak organized tenants as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Austin, Texas.
Chuck Sullivan Related Seminars and Products
President
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois
Chuck is President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois. He has served in that role since January of 2020. The AFFI represents over 15,000 firefighters and paramedics in 225 locals across the state.
Prior to becoming the President, he served as the AFFI Central District Legislative Representative from 2008-2020. During that time, he worked extensively on legislation and rules within Article 4 of the Illinois Pension Statute that affects Downstate and Suburban Firefighters. Chuck Sullivan was appointed to the Firefighters’ Pension Investment Fund Board on January 31, 2020. Chuck has served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees since the Board’s inception.
Chuck has an Associate’s degree in Fire Science and a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. He was a firefighter with the City of Champaign from 1995 until his retirement in March of 2022 at the rank of Battalion Chief. In addition he is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in Desert Storm.
Joe Sweeney Related Seminars and Products
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting
Dr. Diana Uchiyama Related Seminars and Products
Executive Director
Lawyers’ Assistance Program- Illinois Supreme Court Commission
Dr. Diana Uchiyama is the Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAP). Prior to joining LAP, she was the Administrator of Psychological Services for DuPage County and ran a licensed outpatient substance use treatment program, including a Mentally Ill Substance Abuse (MISA) program and Seeking Safety program for individuals with substance use problems, who were also trauma survivors. While at DuPage County she also ran a 26-week Domestic Batterer Intervention Program for a court mandated population of clients.
Dr. Uchiyama has also worked for the Kane County Diagnostic Center, as both a Staff Psychologist and Juvenile Drug Court Coordinator and has an extensive background doing court ordered evaluations including psychological, sanity, fitness, fitness to parent, and sex offender evaluations. She is a licensed sex offender evaluator in the State of Illinois. She has implemented numerous changes to court ordered programs both in Kane and DuPage County and is a SAMSHA certified trauma informed care trainer. Dr. Uchiyama also conducts therapy with adults and adolescents, is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and has an Advanced Mindfulness Training Certificate, teaching mindfulness skills to others in order to increase their wellbeing.
Prior to obtaining her master’s and doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Dr. Uchiyama was an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County working in various felony courtrooms at 26th and California in Chicago for over a decade. She obtained her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law.
Location
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Agenda
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 08:00 AM to 08:50 AM (CST)
Location: Lobby
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 08:50 AM to 09:00 AM (CST)
Location: Auditorium
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 09:00 AM to 10:00 AM (CST)
Speaker(s): Robert Bruno , James Daniels , Mike Newman
Location: Auditorium
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 10:10 AM (CST)
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Concurrent Session I
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Police Forum
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 10:10 AM to 11:10 AM (CST)
Speaker(s): Sharon Fairley , Keith A. Karlson , Michael Kuczwara Jr.
Location: Concourse, C50
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Labor Relations and Federal Policy Impacts on Higher Education Institutions in Illinois
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 10:10 AM to 11:10 AM (CST)
Speaker(s): Mr. Victor Blackwell JD, Nicholas Christen , Robb Craddock
Location: Concourse, C20
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Labor Board Basics
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 10:10 AM to 11:10 AM (CST)
Speaker(s): John Brosnan , Helen J. Kim , Kimberly Stevens , Ellen Maureen Strizak
Location: Concourse, C40
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 10:10 AM to 11:10 AM (CST)
Speaker(s): Jamie Franklin , Naomi Frisch , Abby Rogers
Location: 704
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 11:10 AM to 11:20 AM (CST)
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Concurrent Session II
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Firefighter Forum
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Shawn Flaherty , Marron Mahoney , Mr. Jerry J. Marzullo , Chuck Sullivan
Location: Concourse, C50
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K-12 Education
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Nick Gutierrez , Maureen Lemon , Tyler Redd
Location: Concourse, C20
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Pensions
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Tom Mazur , John Motylinski , Taylor Muzzy , Daniel J. Siblik
Location: 704
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Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue: Why the Work We Do Impacts Us (Mental Health)
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Dr. Diana Uchiyama
Location: Auditorium
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 12:20 PM to 01:20 PM (CST)
Location: Concourse Level
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Concurrent Session III
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Ask The Arbitrators
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 01:20 PM to 02:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Kevin Camden , Brian Clauss , Joe Moriarty , Rebekah Smith
Location: Concourse, C40
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Interest Arbitration
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 01:20 PM to 02:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Steven M. Bierig , Tamara Cummings , Michael K. Durkin Attorney
Location: Concourse, C20
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Labor Relations and the First Amendment in Times of Increasing Political Polarization
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 01:20 PM to 02:20 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Nicki Bazer , Martin H. Malin , Joe Sweeney
Location: Auditorium
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 02:20 PM to 02:30 PM (CST)
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Concurrent Session IV
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IELRA Update
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Tina Christofalos , Mike Fredendall , Ellen Maureen Strizak
Location: Concourse, C20
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Beyond Bias: Strategies for Inclusive Legal Leadership
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Julia Roundtree Livingston
Location: Concourse, C50
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IPLRA Update
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Gary Bailey , Helen J. Kim , Melissa Sobota
Location: Auditorium
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Nuts & Bolts: Discipline and Discharge
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Eric B. Bernard , Thaddeus H. Goodchild , Susan M. Matta
Location: 704
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 03:30 PM to 03:40 PM (CST)
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Closing Plenary - Legislative Updates
Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 03:40 PM to 04:40 PM (CST)
Speaker(s): Ted Clark , Robert G. Reiter Jr.
Location: Auditorium
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Date/Time: Fri, Nov 07, 2025 - 04:40 PM to 05:40 PM (CST)
Location: Lobby