Joy Rothschild (keynote speaker)
- Ms. Rothschild is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Omni Hotels. In this capacity, she has extensive experience in dealing with union issues at Omni Hotels from coast to coast. Ms. Rothschild will share valuable insights into what works, and what doesn’t, in communicating with employees when the union comes knocking. Ms. Rothschild will also discuss what she has learned firsthand from Omni employees about why they entertain the idea of unionization and her experience in promoting a culture where employees are less apt to do so.
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Jay Wallace
- Mr. Wallace represents companies in all phases of employment law, both state and federal. This includes claims involving sexual harassment, discrimination based on race, sex, disability, age and national origin; claims involving the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act; and litigation involving noncompete agreements and the disclosure of trade secrets.
- Mr. Wallace began publishing the firm’s quarterly Employment Law Newsletter in 1995, which is used to update employers on recent developments in employment law. Jay is the coeditor of the Texas Employment Law Manual, first published by GMWD in 1999. This provides an overview and analysis of the principle state and federal laws that affect Texas employers and human resource professionals on a wide variety of employment–related topics.
- Mr. Wallace also regularly counsels clients on union issues and has represented clients such as Hilton Hotels and Don Davis Toyota before the National Labor Relations Board.
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Michael Baum
- Mr. Baum represents parties in employment related matters in both state and federal court based on wrongful termination and discrimination in the workplace (age, race, gender, pregnancy, national origin, religion and disability), and breach of employment contracts. Mr. Baum frequently handles disputes arising out of non–competition agreements. Mr. Baum regularly counsels corporations on employment policies; employee discipline; employment investigations; and strategic employment decisions, and drafts employment policies and non–competition and severance agreements.
- Mr. Baum also regularly advises clients on union and National Labor Relations Board issues.
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Arturo Laurel National Labor Relations Board
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Joe Gross
- Joseph N. Gross is a partner with Benesch’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. He focuses his practice on a variety of labor and employment matters, including workers’ compensation defense. He is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a Specialist in Labor and Employment Law.
- Mr. Gross is a member of the firm’s China Group, which assists clients with China–related transactions and business matters. He also chairs the firm’s Conflicts and Ethics Committee.
- Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Gross spent 18 years in the steel industry, working in several management areas, including industrial engineering, accounting, finance and strategic planning. Mr. Gross frequently speaks on the topics of labor and employment, workers’ compensation, and legal professionalism and ethics.
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