Paul D. Weiss co-founded Bartlo, Hettler, Weiss & Tripi in 1995 to provide effective representation to public sector unions and municipalities in labor and employment matters.

 

Paul handles a range of issues on behalf of police benevolent associations, white and blue-collar unions, and municipalities, including discipline and discharge, the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, and the representation of public parties in State and Federal court litigation.

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Paul’s clients benefit from his decades of experience negotiating and litigating numerous subjects of collective bargaining, including health care, wages and hours, work force changes, and retirement benefits.

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Through negotiations, interest arbitration, grievance arbitration, and proceedings before the Public Employment Relations Board, Paul has helped labor unions secure limitations on management rights; reinstate employees discharged and disciplined without just cause; obtain injury-on-duty benefits; block involuntary transfers and unilateral changes in health insurance, overtime assignments and payment, and vacation scheduling; and defeat subcontracting of unit work. Paul has also won grievance arbitrations challenging the failure of employers to fill vacancies, to properly calculate longevity payments and make assignments based on seniority, and to provide court pay.

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He also represents claimants and municipal defendants in employment discrimination actions before the New York State Department of Human Rights, the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in State and Federal Courts.

 

Paul maintains a steady appellate practice as well, representing parties in appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York State Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division, Fourth Department. He also represents parties in civil litigation, including personal injury and contract actions.

 

Along with his union-side practice, Paul currently serves as the Village Attorney for Springville, New York, representing the Village in Municipal Law, Tax Certiorari, SEQRA, Zoning Board of Appeals and Article 78 proceedings. Paul also serves as Special Counsel to the Village of East Aurora and the Village of Lancaster, and previously was counsel to the Town of Amherst and the Village of Depew.

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Representative Cases

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—            Professional, Clerical, Technical Employees Association v. Buffalo Board of Education, 90 N.Y.2d 364 (1997)

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Education

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            State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A., History, with honors

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            State University of New York at Buffalo, J.D.

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Bar Admissions

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            New York

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            United States District Court, Western District of New York

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            Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

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            United States Supreme Court

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            United States Bankruptcy Court

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Professional Affiliations

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            Member, American Bar Association (Labor Law Section)

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            Member, New York State Bar Association (Labor Law Section)

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            Member, Labor Law Committee of the Erie County Bar Association

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            Advisory Board, Industrial Relations Research Association

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            Member, Organization of Public Employer Negotiators

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            Member, St. Thomas More Guild

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Presentations

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            “Interest Arbitration under the Taylor Law,” Panel Member, Erie County Bar Association, Labor Law Committee, June 1992.

 

            “St. Mary’s v. Hicks and Pre-Text Plus in Disparate Treatment Cases: A Review of Cases in the Eighth, Seventh, First and Second Circuits,” Erie County Bar Association, Labor Law Committee, April 1993.

 

            “Implications of the proposed Health Security Act,” Industrial Relations Research Association, February 1994.

 

            “Labor Law Update and Current Employment Law Issues,”  Society for Human Resource Management, September 1994.

 

            “Implications of the Dunlop Commission Report,” Erie County Bar Association, Labor Law Committee, January 1995.

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            “Employment and Labor Law Update in New York State,” February 1995.

 

            “Affirmative Action: For Whom the Bell Tolls?”  Canisius College, March 1995.

 

            “Application of the General Municipal Law Section 51 in Taxpayer Actions against Public Officials,” Western New York Association of Chiefs of Police, March 1995.

 

            “The Family and Medical Leave Act,” Seminar on Current Issues in Employment Law, Erie County Bar Association, Labor Law Committee, April 1995.

 

            “Public Sector Employment Law:   Health Insurance Benefits for Retirees,” State University at Buffalo, Center for Tomorrow, March 23, 1996.

 

            “Avoiding Costly Retaliation Claims in ADA, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Workers’ Compensation Cases,” Personnel Law Update, February 4, 1997.

 

            “Choosing the Forum,” Addressing Discrimination Claims in various Legal Forums, Erie County Bar Association, Labor Section, March 8, 1997.

 

            “Avoiding Costly Retaliation Claims in ADA, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Workers’ Compensation Cases,” Personnel Law Update, June 25, 1997.

 

            “Personnel Law Update Seminar,” Chair and Presenter, November 18, 1997.

 

            “Choosing the Forum,” Addressing Discrimination Claims in various Legal Forums, Fifth Annual Labor and Employment Law Symposium, Erie County Bar Association, March 25, 2000.

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