The American Bar Association will host its 17^th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference in Seattle, Washington on November 8–11. This year, KBK partners Alexis Ronickher, Jennifer Liu, and Carolyn Wheeler will be participating in the conference as panelists discussing various issues in employment and whistleblower law.

Alexis Ronickher will participate in a panel entitled When Confidentiality and Whistleblowing Collide. The panel will explore the changing landscape in what information an employer can shield from public disclosure, as well as whether, to whom, and how whistleblowers can lawfully disclose an employer’s confidential information. The panel will also examine new developments in NLRB, SEC, and FTC rules, guidance, and decisions that limit non-disclosure agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other agreements that discourage employees from whistleblowing.

Jennifer Liu will speak on a panel entitled The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP Act, which will offer an overview of the new laws, regulatory activity undertaken to implement them, and a preliminary look at litigation commenced under these laws.

Carolyn Wheeler will speak on a panel entitled Exploring the Line Between Religious Expression and Political Ideology in the Workplace and the Duty to Accommodate. The panel will address whether and how the newly formulated standard in Groff v. DeJoy for evaluating religious accommodation requests may impact workplace conflicts arising from religiously based objections to vaccine requirements, DEI training initiatives, and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. The panel will also discuss how the evolving protections for religious employers may collide with their employees’ entitlement to reasonable accommodations, and how employers, unions, and employees can navigate to preserve the freedom of religious expression for everyone without creating a hostile environment for those who do not share the same religious views.

The full program is available here.