Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources will hold its annual Fall Conference on Sept. 21 and 22 in Falmouth, covering topics such as collective and impact bargaining, policing, diversity, equity and inclusion, and recruitment.
Attorneys Katherine Hesse and Mike Maccaro of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane will begin the day on Thursday, Sept. 21, with a session on the fundamentals of collective bargaining in municipal settings and recent case law pertaining to public sector employees.
MMA Legislative Director Dave Koffman will then provide a legislative update, and the 2023 Emil S. Skop award will be presented by MMHR Vice Chair Dolores Hamilton, the assistant town administrator in Stow who won the award last year.
In the afternoon, attorney Jaime Kenny of Clifford & Kenny will give a presentation on effective impact bargaining, and Enrique Zuniga, executive director of the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, will discuss the commission’s work since it was established in 2020.
To conclude Thursday’s events, attendees are invited to join an outdoor reception for snacks, beverages and networking.
Friday morning will begin with an optional yoga class at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast at 8 a.m.
A morning session on diversity, equity and inclusion will discuss transgender and nonbinary inclusion in the municipal workplace. The session will be led by Regina Ryan, president of Discrimination & Harassment Solutions, and Trevor Boylston, an LGBTQ+ motivational speaker.
The last session of the day will be a roundtable discussion on employee recruitment and retention facilitated by MMHR board and committee members. The conference will conclude at noon, with boxed lunches available for attendees.
The conference will be held at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth at 35 Quaker Road. The registration fee is $185 for the full conference, or $110 for Thursday only. Registrants will be sent a detailed agenda in the coming weeks. The cancellation deadline is Sept. 14.
Thursday, September 21
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Conference Registration and Welcome Breakfast
Ballroom 1 & 2
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks & Networking Icebreaker
Vanessa Hale, MMHR Chair
Ballroom 1 & 2
10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Getting to Yes: Collective Bargaining Fundamentals
Katherine Hesse, founding partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLC
Mike Maccaro, partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLC
Attorneys Hesse and Maccaro will provide an overview of the bargaining process, best practices for reaching an agreement, and recent case law pertaining to public sector employees. Participants will gain foundational knowledge of collective bargaining in municipal settings and valuable insight on post-pandemic developments.
11:45 – 12:15 p.m.
Legislative Update
Dave Koffman, MMA Legislative Director
Dave Koffman will review recent state and federal legislation affecting municipal government.
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch
Ocean View Room
1:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Secrets of a Former Union Lawyer: Effective Labor Relations
Jaime Kenny, partner, Clifford & Kenny LLC
Attorney Kenny will examine the differences between impact and decisional bargaining, and discuss the elements of the impact bargaining process. Participants will learn strategies for efficient impact bargaining and gain familiarity with recent class and compensation case studies.
2:45 – 3 p.m.
Healthy Snack Break
3 – 4:30 p.m.
POST Commission Update and Reflection
Enrique Zuniga, Executive Director, Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission
Matthew Landry, Director of Standards, Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission
Enrique Zuniga will outline the POST disciplinary process, cover the release of the POST disciplinary reports, and discuss the commission’s goals for fiscal 2024. He will be joined by Matthew Landry, Director of Standards at the POST Commission.
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Free Time
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Outdoor Reception
There will be light hors d’oeuvres, but no formal dinner. This reception was made possible with the generous sponsorship of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane LLP.
Courtyard
Weather back up: Ocean View Room
Friday, September 22
7 – 8 a.m.
Sunrise Yoga
Beach
Weather backup: Race Point Room
8 – 9 a.m.
Breakfast and Networking
Ballroom 1 & 2
9 – 10:30 a.m.
Embracing Transgender and Nonbinary Employees in the Municipal Workplace
Regina Ryan, Founder and President, Discrimination and Harassment Solutions LLC
Trevor Boylston, CPSM, CPSD, LGBTQ+ Motivational Speaker
Regina Ryan will present best practices for supporting and including transgender and nonbinary employees in municipal workplaces, as well as citing case examples. She will be joined by Trevor Boylston, who will share his authentic perspective on building transgender and nonbinary-inclusive workplaces.
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Creative Recruitment and Retention Roundtable
Moderated by members of the MMHR Board, Program Committee, and Fall Conference Committee
MMHR Board and Committee members will lead a series of roundtable discussions to continue the conversation on post-pandemic strategies for employee recruitment and retention. Topics will include benefits and retirement, marketing and outreach, and onboarding and training.
12 p.m.
Conclusion
Boxed Lunches will be available for attendees to take to go.
Location
Sea Crest Hotel, Falmouth
Contact
MMA Member Program Coordinator Anneke Craig, acraig@mma.org
Massachusetts Municipal Human Resources