Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. presents a Labor & Employment Conference for Healthcare Professionals, focusing on new or recurring issues and concerns which executives, managers, and human resources professionals face daily in the healthcare industry.

Date

Wednesday, May 10, 2023
8:30 am Registration
9:00 am - 3:30 pm Conference

Location

Lod Cook Hotel at LSU
3848 W Lakeshore Drive
Baton Rouge, LA

Cost

$95.00 per attendee
$35.00 per sponsoring organization attendee
Fees include lunch.

Agenda

9:00 am Welcome

9:00-9:45 am Feds Doubling Down: Are Your Employee Recruiting or Retention Efforts Illegal?
Jeanne C. Comeaux (Antitrust) and Jude C. Bursavich (Noncompetition Agreements)

In the healthcare industry today, the answer may not be as clear as you think. We will address the aggressive agendas of the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission as they continue to target purported anti-competitive employment activities in the healthcare industry such as noncompete agreements and information sharing which might once have been considered mere collegial collaboration.

 9:45-10:30 am “Blunt” Force Trauma: The Reality of Weed at Work and Other Off Duty Employee Conduct
Rachael Jeanfreau and Kayla M. Jacob

While healthcare employers continue to grapple with the symptoms arising from employee marijuana use and its complex legal landscape, will the Biden Administration succeed in reclassification of the drug as other than a Schedule I controlled substance? We’ll explore this and other headache-inducing off duty employee conduct surrounding politics, romantic relationships and more.

10:30-10:45 am Break

10:45-11:45 am Wage & Hour Trends and Challenges in the Healthcare Industry
Troy M. Mouton, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division

We are privileged to welcome back to the program our special guest from the Department of Labor, who will address DOL interpretations and trends in wage and hour law which often affect the healthcare industry.

11:45 am – 12:30 pm Lunch

12:30-1:30 pm Unions are HERE! AND…the NLRB Continues to Broaden Employee Protections in the Non-Union Setting
E. Fredrick Preis, Jr. and Philip Giorlando

No doubt, the pandemic brought to bear many challenges for the healthcare industry, particularly with respect to its frontline staff. The atmosphere was ripe for union organizing and, not surprisingly, that is exactly what has occurred. As organizing moves into Louisiana, what are the key strategies healthcare employers should employ? And, as expected, the NLRB has been busy carrying out its stated objectives to expand the concept of protected activity in non-union workplaces. We will explore some of the more challenging shifts in the Board’s view of employer handbook rules, confidentiality provisions in severance agreements, employee speech and behaviors, and other controversial decisions.

1:30-2:30 pm Protecting Your Organization From Violence in the Workplace
Special Agent Natalie A. Phelan, FBI, New Orleans Division and Alexandra Cobb Hains

Following a brief discussion of the latest state law mandates surrounding workplace violence, and back by popular demand, Agent Natalie Phelan will lend her expertise in this timely discussion of how to protect your workforce and patients in an active shooter, or other violent, situation.

2:30-2:45 pm Break

2:45-3:30 pm Legal Lagniappe: Random (but important!) Employment Issues Affecting the Healthcare Industry
Murphy J. Foster, III, Jerry L. Stovall, Jr., Melissa M. Shirley, Eve B. Masinter

To close the program, our panel will touch on a number of recent or imminent changes in the law (or interpretations of it), including federal pregnancy and nursing protections, AI or other automated decision-making tools as an EEOC priority (and how automation can lead to discrimination claims), new or recurring state law issues impacting healthcare employers, and more!