The Labor Relations Service provides vital services to participating school districts through the Labor Relations CoSer. It encompasses five main areas:

Regulatory Compliance: Public education operates within a heavily regulated environment. The Service constantly monitors laws and regulations in relevant areas and share any changes through seminars, e-mails and  newsletters. We also maintain a comprehensive law library on employment/labor and education issues, the better to both answer quick questions and conduct in-depth research.

Investigations And Discipline: The Service provides an experienced and neutral set of eyes for conducting investigations that may lead to either counseling or discipline of school district employees.

Grievances And Arbitrations: The Service is grounded in the philosophy that it is important to build and maintain good labor relations. However, when the occasional grievance arises, the Service can represent districts on issues pertaining to negotiated agreements, including in arbitrations and at hearings on improper practice charges.

Negotiations: The Service will coordinate negotiations for districts, including developing proposals and comparisons. We gather up-to-date information on salaries and benefits through a yearly survey of component districts, which data is then shared with the districts. Because negotiating a contract involves many steps and considerable time, at-the-table negotiations are an additional service component.

Student Discipline: The two of us act as neutral hearing officers in approximately 150 student discipline hearings each year. A student suspension beyond five days requires a hearing, and there are special rules for classified students. We help defuse potential conflicts by ensuring that parents and students feel fairly treated in this process.

For more information please contact:

Kevin W. Connell, Esq.
Labor Relations Coordinator
Email the Coordinator
(585) 344-7695

Vanessa Hanks, Esq.
Labor Relations Coordinator
Email the Coordinator
(585) 658 or 344-7907

Stephen M. Mahoney, Esq.
Chief Legal Counsel and Labor Relations
(585) 658 or 344-7904

Catherine Palermo, Esq.
Labor Relations Coordinator
Email the Coordinator
(585) 658 or 344-7609