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Apprenticeship Month

NYS Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon

Reardon-Bigler Apprenticeship Proclamation

NYS Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon presents Esta R. Bigler, Chairperson of the NYS Apprenticeship and Training Council, a proclamation by Governor Kathy Hochul declaring November as NYS Apprenticeship Month.  Ms. Bigler was recently reappointed as Chairperson of the Council by Gov. Hochul.

Education and Training

Legal Education

The Labor and Employment Law Program offers multi-perspective forums and conferences that address current legal topics affecting the workplace. 

Panelists Discuss Pay Transparency

Closing pay gaps will require employers, some of whom have little infrastructure or capacity to uphold the law, to think carefully about their compensation spectrum, experts said at an ILR forum.
Jacqueline M. Ebanks, executive director of the New York City Commission on Gender Equity
Panelists Discuss Pay Transparency

Pay Transparency: Pros and Cons

Peter Bamberger, Ph.D. ’90, research director of ILR’s Smithers Institute and a Tel Aviv University professor who has written a book on exposing pay, is among the experts who will speak at a Tuesday event.
A transparent piggy bank
Pay Transparency: Pros and Cons

Explainer: New NYC Pay Law

Beginning today, employers with four or more employees or with one or more domestic workers must include a salary range when advertising jobs to be performed in New York City.
Esta Bigler
Explainer: New NYC Pay Law

New York City Enacts Bill Requiring Notice and Posting of "Workers' Bill of Rights"

Beginning July 1, 2024, NYC employers must distribute and post a Worker Bill of Rights notice, emphasizing labor laws and protections for all workers, including immigrants. Employers must comply by July 1, 2024, or face a penalty. The law allows a 30-day window for corrections, emphasizing support for businesses in adapting to new requirements.
law tech
New York City Enacts Bill Requiring Notice and Posting of "Workers' Bill of Rights"

A Discussion with NLRB GC Jennifer A. Abruzzo

Jennifer Abruzzo, recently confirmed General Counsel of the NLRB, presented her views on current challenges and opportunities, initiatives she is considering, and future potential effects on workers, employers, unions, and the general public on the workplace protection and enforcement realm.
Jennifer Abruzzo NLRB GC
A Discussion with NLRB GC Jennifer A. Abruzzo

A Conversation with NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran

Lauren McFerran was named Chairman of the NLRB by President Biden. She served on the Board from December 2014 to December 2019 and was reappointed to a second term in August 2020. Chairman McFerran joined us to discuss the state of the NLRB following the Trump Administration and recent Board decisions.
Lauren McFerran NLRB Chairman
A Conversation with NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran

New York City Enacts Bill Requiring Notice and Posting of "Workers' Bill of Rights"

Beginning July 1, 2024, NYC employers must distribute and post a Worker Bill of Rights notice, emphasizing labor laws and protections for all workers, including immigrants. Employers must comply by July 1, 2024, or face a penalty. The law allows a 30-day window for corrections, emphasizing support for businesses in adapting to new requirements.
law tech
New York City Enacts Bill Requiring Notice and Posting of "Workers' Bill of Rights"

Cornell ILR Hosts NYS Apprenticeship & Training Council

The New York State Apprenticeship and Training Council's final meeting in 2023, held at Cornell ILR, emphasized apprenticeship as integral to higher education. Commissioner Roberta Reardon stated apprenticeship isn't an alternative but a part of it. The event showcased the impact of apprenticeship programs with over 17,000 apprentices, particularly in NYC.
Pictured from left to right: Jeffery Huffcut, Southern Tier Sheet Metal Contractors Association Manager; Ernest Hartman, Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International Representative; William Macchione, North Atlantic States Carpenters; Esta Bigler, Cornel ILR Labor and Employment Law Program Director, NYS DOL Apprenticeship Council Chairperson; Roberta Reardon, NYS Department of Labor Commissioner; Chris Pinheiro, NYS DOL Apprenticeship and Infrastructure Director
Cornell ILR Hosts NYS Apprenticeship & Training Council

Inaugural High Road Fellowship Cools Down in NYC

Convening one final time to reflect on their High Road experience, the fellows were joined by those who made the pilot NYC fellowship possible - program sponsors, work colleagues, ILR staff, Friday speakers, alumni, and even the city itself. 
NYC high roads scholars group shot
Inaugural High Road Fellowship Cools Down in NYC

Social Justice and Employment

Social Justice and Employment
Esta Bigler teaching at Cayuga Correctional Facility

The Labor and Employment Law Program has been working in areas of social science research, social justice, and employment discrimination for over 20 years through its national conferences, seminars, and training programs. Its Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) was founded in 2014 and has grown into separate entity, now part of ILR's Outreach Strategic Initiatives Incubator.

 

ILR Program Helps People with Criminal Records Return to Workforce

Cornell Chronicle
Through the Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative, School of Industrial and Labor Relations legal experts are helping people with criminal records get jobs – an effort that not only changes the course of people’s lives, but helps employers find motivated workers at a time of historically low unemployment.
NY Retail Council Training
ILR Program Helps People with Criminal Records Return to Workforce

Listen: Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance

Esta Bigler speaks with Rashawn Davis, a policy analyst at The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, about why employment is an important component of reducing recidivism and increasing safety.
Rashawn Davis interviewing Esta Bigler
Listen: Candid Conversations about Criminal Record Clearance

Listen: Cornell Collaboration Delivers Hope

Listen to Esta Bigler ’70, in a conversation with Cornell colleague Rob Scott, discuss her work with incarcerated men seeking jobs.
Cayuga Correctional - Esta Teaching
Listen: Cornell Collaboration Delivers Hope

About Us

  • Director, Labor and Employment Law Programs, ILR School

Esta Bigler, Esq., is Director of Cornell University ILR’s Labor and Employment Law Program and Director of ILR's NYC Government and Community Relations.

  • Deputy Director, Labor and Employment Law Program

As Deputy Director of ILR’s Labor and Employment Law Program, Cecilia Oyediran designs curriculum and provides instruction on workplace law to employers and workers, including social equity partici

  • Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives
Sara joined the Labor and Employment Law Program in 2022, bringing many years of experience in program administration, curriculum development, and addressing the learning needs of nontraditional

  • Program Coordinator, Labor and Employment Law

Tomisha joined the Labor and Employment Law Program in 2023 as Program Coordinator.

  • Program Manager

In the News

Media Stories

The fine line higher-ed must walk when providing cannabis courses

Esta Bigler discusses how higher education cannabis programs occupy a uniquely fraught space on legal minefield between state and federal laws.
ILR conference center building
The fine line higher-ed must walk when providing cannabis courses