Connecticut employers need to be aware of two significant changes in the law surrounding internships. The first is a new state statute including unpaid interns in the protections afforded to employees with respect to discrimination and harassment. Employers should update their handbooks and training materials to ensure that interns receive the same protections as employees […]
Wage violations are about to get more costly for Connecticut employers. A new statute, effective October 1, 2015, requires courts to award double damages plus court costs and attorneys’ fees if an employer has failed to pay an employee’s wages (including minimum wage and overtime owed), accrued fringe benefits, or arbitration award. The new law […]
Connecticut lawmakers want to ensure that employees are free to discuss their wages with one another. A recently enacted law, Public Act No. 15-196, prohibits public and private employers from barring discussions about wages or penalizing employees for discussing wages. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, 2015, protects the rights of employees […]
The Appellate Court of Connecticut, in a long awaited decision, recently held in Tomick v. UPS, 157 Conn. App. 312 (Conn. App. Ct. 2015), that a plaintiff cannot recover punitive damages under Connecticut’s statute prohibiting discrimination in employment, the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (“CFEPA”). The Court accordingly set aside the jury’s $500,000 award of punitive […]
The Connecticut House has taken up Raised Bill No. 6933 which would require employers (including public sector employers) to begin posting employee schedules at least 21 days in advance. Employers will also be required to provide advance notice of at least 21 days if the employer changes the schedule and that these changes must be approved by […]
The Connecticut General Assembly recently passed Senate Bill No. 426 (2015) titled “An Act Concerning Employee Online Privacy.” This new law will prohibit employers from requiring employees or applicants to: (1) provide their user name and password or any other access to an employee’s personal online account; (2) access an online account in the employers presence; or […]
If you work or operate a business long enough, it is inevitable that the decision to terminate will be made at some point. This decision, while not an easy one to make, is compounded by issues that can arise immediately after when the terminated employee believes they were “wrongfully terminated” and seek redress through a […]
Connecticut employers must begin paying $9.15 per hour to their employees on January 1, 2015 as part of legislation designed to raise the state minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017. For restaurant waitstaff who receive sufficient gratuities, the employer must pay $5.78 per hour under the new minimum wage, but the employee must […]
For employers, preparing for winter weather includes ensuring all employees are paid properly on snow days. Many employers are surprised to learn that their payroll does not take a snow day when their employees do. While snow days are probably the most common application of the principles discussed in this article, these rules apply to […]
On October 1, 2014 Public Act 14-27 went into effect which revamped Connecticut’s provisional pardon law (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-130a). The revisions were based on the recommendations of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission and under this new bill: “a provisional pardon or certificate [of rehabilitation] creates a presumption of rehabilitation. The bill requires the state or an […]
