Member of NLRB to speak at labor law symposium

National Labor Relations Board member Nancy J. Schiffer will give the keynote address during the Bernard Gottfried Memorial Labor Law Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Wayne State University Law School. Alumni, students, and anyone interested in furthering their insight into labor law are invited to attend the symposium from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium at the law school, 471 W. Palmer St. Parking will be available for $7 (credit and debit cards only) in Structure No. 1 across West Palmer Street from the law school. Schiffer was nominated for the board by President Barack Obama and seated in August 2013. A Michigan native, she began her legal career as a field attorney with NLRB Region 7. She then worked in private practice with a law firm, as an associate general counsel and deputy general counsel with the United Auto Workers, and as an associate general counsel with the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., a position from which she retired in 2012. She earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. The symposium, in its 22nd year, is sponsored by Wayne Law, Region 7 and the State Bar of Michigan's Labor and Employment Law Section. Registration and a continental breakfast will start the day at 8 a.m., followed by opening remarks by Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson and Region 7 Director Terry Morgan. The event will include morning sessions on "Bullying, Harassment and Section 7 Rights" and "Now Who is an Employee College Athletes, Teaching Assistants, Adjunct Professors, etc." led by noted local and national labor relations experts. After a luncheon at noon, Schiffer will deliver the keynote address, followed by a special session on "Deferral and the Role of the Arbitrator." A special event is slated for 4:30 p.m., after the symposium closes, with a reception-the Detroit debut of the documentary "Brothers on the Line" by Sasha Reuther and a panel discussion about the documentary. The registration fee for the symposium is $100, which includes all sessions, presentation materials, breakfast and lunch. Students, NLRB staff and government employees can register for a reduced cost of $25. The deadline for registration is Thursday, Oct. 2. Register online at law.wayne.edu/gottfried2014. Proceeds from the symposium will be used to fund future educational programs and labor-related studies at Wayne Law. For more details, call the Wayne Law Dean's Office at 313-577-6497. The symposium honors the labor relations vision of Bernard Gottfried (1925-1992), who was director of Region 7 from 1973 until his death. He taught as an adjunct professor at Wayne Law for many years. Published: Tue, Sep 16, 2014