The New Economy Summit, Presented by AmeriCU
#NewEconomySummit
On Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013, many of the regions most influential business, academic, and community leaders will come together for a day of inspiration and action to drive the development of a local and sustainable economy.
Join SyracuseFirst’s New Economy Summit: Growing Your Business and Building Community. This event marks the first conference of its kind in the region focusing on locally owned, independent businesses and how they uniquely contribute to economic vitality, environmental impact, and the cultural fabric and identity of a community.
Why attend the New Economy Summit?
The New Economy Summit isn’t your ordinary business conference. Event participants will delve into topics on the forefront of business growth and community development. Summit guests will:
- Understand the true impact of local businesses on the local economy.
- Get engaged with best practices to support local businesses.
- Learn and share strategies on how to attract consumers to local businesses.
What you can expect at the New Economy Summit?
Inspirational Keynote Speakers
Judy Wicks. Author of the new book Good Morning, Beautiful Business: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer. In 2004, Inc. Magazine named Judy Wicks one of America’s 25 most fascinating entrepreneurs. Judy is is a co-founder of the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Founder and CEO of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia. In 1970, she also co-founded the original Free People’s Store, now well known as Urban Outfitters.
Joe Grafton. Joe has dedicated the last decade of his life to shifting culture and paradigms to support of sustainable local economies and community-based businesses. He is the Director of Development and Community Engagement at the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), and a board member at the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts. *Joe’s appearance at the New Economy Summit is possible due to support from American Express.*
Educational and Practical Breakout sessions
How Community Capital and Local Investing are Putting Money in the Hands of Business Owners and Entrepreneurs,
presented by:
AmeriCU
The ABC’s of B Corporations: A New Business Structure for Social Enterprises,
presented by:
Elisa Miller-Out, Singlebrook
Hayden Brainard, Miller Mayer, LLP
Jason Salfi, Comet Skateboards
Liz Brenna, Socially Good Business
How Smart Growth Solutions Support Local Businesses,
presented by:
Peter Fleischer, Empire State Future
Creating a Stable Economy by Fostering Entrepreneurship,
presented by:
Mitchell Patterson & Seth Mulligan, CenterState CEO
Marty Butts, Small Potatoes Sales and Marketing
New Economy Summit Sponsors: AmeriCU, The Gifford Foundation, Syracuse University, GA Promotions, Darco Manufacturing, Rounded, Genesee Grande, 2ndNature
Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting Beth Savicki (bsavicki@centerstateceo.com or 315-470-1800)
SPACE is LIMITED. REGISTER TODAY WWW.SYRACUSEFIRST.ORG/SUMMIT
Happy guessing!
“Ask The Lawyer” – Social Media Policies
The following is a regularly occurring column titled “Ask The Lawyer” from SyracuseFirst member Tully Rinckey.
Social Media Policies
The Rights and Responsibilities of Employers and Employees
With the relatively recent explosion of social media usage and sharing, businesses have become increasingly concerned with employees discussing work-related matters online. Some have started reprimanding employees for expressing feelings about work on social networks. Others are implementing policies that prohibit company issues from being discussed on social pages.
What can an employer do when an employee tweets a negative remark about his or her job or the business? Can he or she be scolded? Can his or her pay be docked or can he or she be fired?
As of January 2013, there were over 1.06 billion users registered on Facebook. Twitter reports that as of November 2012, users were sending out 15,000 tweets per second. While these numbers are staggering, it’s no secret that social media has become a “sounding board” for its users.
While instituting a policy that restricts employees’ discussion about work conditions may have been an employer’s first step, that isn’t an option. According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employees should be able to speak freely about work conditions, whether it’s with their voice or with a keyboard.
The NLRB’s guidelines in Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. §157) permit employees to engage in what is commonly called “protected concerted activity.” This basically states that employees are allowed to engage in activities with the goal of improving their pay or work conditions. This rule, however, is not without restriction and does not condone all uninhibited social media activity by employees. In a case featured in the New York Times, an Illinois bartender was fired for venting about not receiving a raise in five years. He then called the bar’s customers “rednecks” and that he hoped they “choke on glass as they drive home drunk.” The NLRB ruled that his comments were not “concerted efforts” to improve work conditions and confirmed the legality of his firing.
While restricting employees from discussing work conditions with other employees via social media is illegal, businesses can write detailed policies telling employees not to discuss confidential company information or to engage in vulgarity, intimidation or harassment. There is still much uncertainty as to the best way to limit employees from lashing out on social media, so it’s best to discuss your options and craft a policy with the help of an experienced business or employment law attorney.
Richard H. Sargent is the author of Syracuse First’s “Ask the Lawyer” column and a partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC in Franklin Square. Please send business-related questions to askthelawyer@1888law4life.com.