Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) And Renne Public Management Group will have eleven presenters at this year’s California Public Employers Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA) Annual Training Conference in Monterey, from November 12–15. CALPELRA equips California public sector employers to better serve their communities through comprehensive training in labor relations and personnel management. The 2024 Annual Training Conference, themed “Elevate Your Game,” encourages attendees to sharpen skills, learn innovative strategies and build new connections, ensuring they’re ready to tackle any challenge that comes their way.

RPLG subject matter experts will share insights on topics ranging from the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to collective bargaining agreements during 13 unique sessions.

Founding Partner Jon Holtzman will again team up with Janet Cory Sommer (CALPELRA),  Peter J. Brown (Liebert Cassidy Whitmore Partner), Timothy L. Davis (Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP) and Irma Rodríguez Moisa (Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo) to present “Legal Strategies 2024.” The session offers a concise overview of recent labor and employment law developments affecting public agencies, helping attendees navigate and adapt to new legal standards effectively.

Director of Labor Relations Luke Jensen will present “Hot Topics in Police Bargaining.” Partner Amy Ackerman, alongside Associate Mauricio Grande, will present “Common Brown Act and Public Records Act Issues.” Senior Counsel Spencer Wilson and Partner Steve Cikes will jointly present “Navigating the FLSA’s Salary Basis Test.

In “Labor Relations in California — a Roundup with Sparks,” Founding Partner Art Hartinger and Renne Public Management Group (RPMG) Consultant Debra Gill will share practical tips for achieving successful and fair collective bargaining and address key labor-related legislative developments and agendas in the following sessions:

  • Ten Tips for Successful Collective Bargaining at the Table
  • The Top Five Most Absurd PERB Decisions / Developments
  • Ensuring that the Electeds Stay in Their Lane
  • Troubling Legislation, and What Should We Propose to Balance the Playing Field

Partners Ryan McGinley-Stempel and Steve, along with Associate Mauricio, will lead “Which Labor Code And Wage Order Obligations Apply To Public Employees?” The session will explore the California Supreme Court’s recent Stone v. Alameda Health System decision, which reaffirmed public employers’ exemption from certain Labor Code provisions.

CALPELRA’s Annual Training Conference also features Sparks sessions: brief, similarly themed presentations that provide sparks of inspiration and insight. RPLG’s Partners Jon, Steve, and Rubin E. Cruse will present five sessions alongside Senior Associate Imran Dar under the larger umbrella of “New And Continuing Labor Relations Challenges,” aimed at helping assisting public agencies navigate the complexities of public labor relations law, obligations and sometimes-inconvenient requirements:

  • What Happens When Post-PEPRA Employees are the Majority?
  • Effects Bargaining Ate Managerial Prerogative For Breakfast
  • Why Merit System Rules and Labor Law Don’t Play Well Together
  • How PERB Stopped Police Reform In Its Tracks
  • Meyers-Milias-Brown Act and Temporary Employees

“We’re excited to present an unprecedented number of sessions at this year’s CALPELRA conference,” said Jon. “This opportunity showcases our team’s depth, expertise and dedication to helping improve the services of public agencies across California.”

RPLG practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies, nonprofit entities, individuals and private entities in need of effective, responsive and creative legal solutions.