Legislation that would make changes to the state’s laws on sexual harassment and discrimination passed the General Assembly. The law would, among other things, expand the sexual harassment training requirements, increase the time to file a civil rights charge, and increase the remedies available to complainants at the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. However, word […]
Back in March, it looked like the State legislature was going to tackle some big issues in labor and employment. (See previous blog here) The regular session will end on June 5. What happened to all those proposals? Well, the “Time’s Up” legislation also passed the Connecticut Senate by an overwhelming margin and is headed to […]
Last night, the State Senate approved increasing Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023 and the bill is headed to the Governor’s desk. Under the bill, minimum wage increases to $11 per hour effective October 1, 2019 and then incrementally by one dollar per year thereafter, reaching $15 by June 1, 2023. The […]
The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear three cases regarding whether Title VII, the federal law prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The result is expected to be landmark decisions settling questions in employment law […]
Only a few months into the new legislative session, Connecticut’s legislators appear ready to tackle some big issues impacting Connecticut employers in 2019. Although several employment-related initiatives took effect January 1, 2019, including mandatory IRA requirements for private sector employers; expansion of certain health care benefits for women and individuals under 21; and prohibitions on […]
Here we are again, another legislative year when the General Assembly appears determined to follow neighboring states Massachusetts and New York and pass legislation creating paid family medical leave in Connecticut. The current proposal, which has already passed out of the Labor & Public Employees Committee, does far more than create paid family leave; it […]
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a proposed rule that would change the minimum salary threshold for exemption for the so-called “white collar” exemptions – the administrative, executive, and professional exemptions. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) requires that employees receive minimum wage and overtime (calculated at one-and-a-half times the regular rate of […]
Connecticut employers with employees who work or even who simply reside in Massachusetts must abide by Massachusetts’ onerous new non-compete law. Under the new law, a provision in a non-compete providing for the application of another state’s (such as Connecticut’s) law is not enforceable if the employee is, and has been, a resident of or employed in Massachusetts […]
If employers haven’t done so already, it’s time to revise job applications and interview questions to eliminate inquiries about past pay history for job applicants. As discussed in a previous post (here), in May 2018, Connecticut became one of a growing number of states to enact legislation aimed at addressing the pay inequality issue by […]
Last week the CHRO released its case data for FY 2018. Overall, the numbers do not dramatically differ from FY 2017. However, perhaps not surprisingly given the media coverage of the viral #MeToo movement beginning in October 2017, some notable increases emerged. The increase in the overall number of complaints filed in FY 2018 rose […]
