November 2011 - The Wiley Law Office, PCThe Wiley Law Office, PC

Meet Attorney Greg Wiley

Attorney Greg Wiley, Esq., is admitted to practice law in state courts in Minnesota and Illinois, and in numerous federal courts. Wiley is a passionate advocate for his clients, and he has earned an outstanding reputation for the highest quality of legal representation. He is oft-recognized as a Rising Star by Minnesota Lawyer in the area of labor and employment law. In 2012, Wiley was awarded the national Pacesetter Award for innovation in labor law, and the Award of Excellence in Civil Law by the public law section of the Minnesota State Bar Association for demonstrating extraordinary leadership, initiative, and innovation in the performance of his duties in representing his public law clients. Mr. Wiley represented corporate management nationwide while at Littler Mendelson, the largest labor and employment law firm in the country. Mr. Wiley currently runs his own advising, litigation, investigation, mediation, and training practice, and serves as General Counsel to the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office. He represents corporations, local businesses, municipalities, and individuals in the Twin Cities metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and in other parts of Minnesota. He has office space in Edina, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, and Woodbury. Mr. Wiley stays current on legal trends and developments. Subscribe to his RSS, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook feeds to stay abreast of legal developments.

Contact the Wiley Law Offices

Senior Associate Ben Reber Joins the Firm The Wiley Law Office is proud to announce that Ben Reber has joined The Wiley Law Office as Senior Associate. He looks forward to working with you as established and appreciated clients of the firm and helping with all of your business and employment needs.

Ben is joining the firm following three years as an independent contractor for the firm, and eight-and-a-half years as a Labor Relations Specialist for the City of Saint Paul. During his time with the City and as a contractor, he focused his efforts on representing management in all facets of the employer/employee relationship, including hiring, on-boarding, employee relations, grievance processing, workplace accommodations, veterans’ preference, discrimination and harassment investigations, policy development, contract negotiation and interpretation, and employee training.

Ben has been quite active in the Minnesota public labor and employment community, as a participant and presenter for the Minnesota Public Employer Labor Relations Association, and earned his Certified Labor Relations Professional (CLRP) certificate from the National Public Employer Labor Relations Association in 2017.

Ben is also an experienced trainer, having conducted over 40 training seminars for the City of St. Paul during his time as a Labor Relations Specialist, covering topics ranging from employee discipline to Diversity and Inclusion.

Ben has a wealth of experience that he is excited to add to the services provided by the firm, and is devoted to bringing the same high quality service that you’ve come accustomed to as a client of the Wiley Law Office. Contact Ben for advice or just to welcome him to the firm. He can be reached at 651-373-8388, or e-mailed at Benjamin.Reber@wiley-law.com.

The Wiley Law Office, PC office space in Edina, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, and Woodbury. The firm stays current on legal trends and developments. Subscribe to its RSS, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook feeds to stay abreast of legal developments. Thank you, and have a great day at work.

“Mr. Wiley went above and beyond my expectations in his consultation with me. He gave me great feedback for my hearing and prepared me so I had a successful outcome. He does thorough research, thinks of all the angles, and is very professional in his presentation. I highly recommend his services.”

-Cathy T., Client

January 24, 2020

Minneapolis Wage Ordinance Survives Challenge From Large Employer Under MNFLSA Claim

Minimum wage ordinances were all the rage in the 2010s. With the federal minimum wage increasing at a snail’s pace, and state minimums not growing any faster, municipalities began taking the law into their own hands, and adopting minimum wage ordinances that reflected what those cities believed to be “living wages.” In Minnesota, both Minneapolis and St. Paul adopted $15 minimum wage rates for businesses within their borders, with certain […]

January 17, 2020

CNN Agrees to Largest Backpay Settlement in the History of the NLRB

It was recently announced that after years of litigation, news company CNN has agreed to pay over 300 unionized camera operators a total of $76 million. The award was the result of the company terminating the contracts of the unionized employees and hiring replacement employees to do the same work back in 2003. CNN had a service agreement with its subcontractor, Team Video Services, and replaced the workers without bargaining […]

January 9, 2020

Student Library Workers Vote to Organize, and Their Right to Do So is Upheld

In 2017, the student library employees at the University of Chicago voted to organize and work under a collective bargaining agreement. The 200 workers sought higher wages and a more stable schedule, amongst other benefits, for the work they were doing while enrolled at the private university. While unionization is popular at most public universities and colleges, it is only now gaining traction at private institutions across the country, and […]

January 2, 2020

French Company’s Restructuring and Impossible Standards Lead to Suicide; Leaders Held Responsible, Criminally

American Labor Laws are generally not as progressive as many western European countries. For the most part, employers are not held criminally liable for corporate acts taken against employees. However, we spoke earlier in 2019 about how the state of Minnesota has taken steps to criminalize wage theft from employees by company leaders. Therefore, it appears the tide is changing to protect employees against the deliberate wrongful actions by employers. […]

December 26, 2019

Happy Holidays from the Wiley Law Office!

As the year winds down, we hope you and your co-workers take some time away from work in order to spend time with your families (or just not be working) and enjoying the holidays. It’s been an incredible year at the Wiley Law Office, and we have enjoyed working with many of you on your labor and employment needs as well as any investigation work you’ve needed done. We would […]

November 17, 2011

Does your employee classification pass the smell test?

More than ever, employers struggle with employee classification issues: are workers employees or independent contractors? And now, the State of Minnesota and the IRS have started a new initiative to more aggressively audit employers about employee classification, so an improper classification can have significant consequences in the form of increased taxes, penalties and fees. Employers often mistakenly believe that the label they attach to a worker is controlling, but the […]

November 14, 2011

Another Victory by Attorney Greg Wiley

Recently, a Minnesota District Court upheld attorney Greg Wiley’s argument that a Last Chance Agreement precluded a union employee from seeking arbitration to challenge his termination from employment. Employers use Last Change Agreements (“LCAs”) to allow employees that have made mistakes or have had performance issues a second chance, and the agreements provide that the employees may stay employed so long as certain conditions are met. I feel that Last […]

November 10, 2011

Defamation claims are alive and well in Minnesota

Clients often shy away from bringing defamation claims because damages can be difficult to prove, and the burden of a trial might actually exacerbate the harm caused by defamatory remarks. But preserving your business’s reputation may be extremely important, and, in some cases absolutely essential. Clients should carefully evaluate whether bringing a defamation claim makes sense under the particular circumstances. A recent Minnesota District Court case shows that, in the […]