A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the issues that arise when employer investigations produce false information and/or confessions. Usually, these situations occur because the person conducting the investigation is employing a technique that is not tailored to the work environment or is using a best practice that is outdated due to changes in […]
In a case of first impression, the State Board of Labor Relations has ruled that owner/operator bus drivers in Newtown are independent contractors and not employees of the School Board. Newtown Board of Education SBLR Dec. No. 4668 (2013). In an effort to thwart the school district’s efforts to end an 80 year old system of local […]
In what is one of, if not the first decision of its type in Connecticut, an independent hearing officer has ruled that the Groton Board of Education had grounds to terminate Paul Kadri its Superintendent of Schools. As in most districts, Kadri was under contract which provided for grounds for termination similar to those […]
While significant inroads have been made in implementing defined contribution plans for new hires in Connecticut municipal negotiations, police and fire unions have continued to resist such changes, citing, among other things, the greater likelihood a cop or firefighter may become disabled on the job than other municipal workers. Nonetheless, while still in the minority, […]
Employers of persons who operate a commercial motor vehicle that requires a commercial driver’s license (“CDL”) should know that they are subject to the United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”), Federal Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) regulations. The regulations, commonly known as “Part 40,” require commercial motor vehicle operators to be tested for drugs […]
Since 1962, employers with a dues checkoff provision in a collective bargaining agreement have been permitted to cease deducting dues from employee paychecks and remitting them to the union upon contract expiration. As of last month, however, employers can no longer relieve themselves of the burden of collecting and remitting dues upon contract expiration. In […]
While both the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and Connecticut law permit an employer to include the reasonable value/cost of lodging provided to an employee as part of such employee’s wages towards the minimum wage, employers need to pay close attention to the differences between federal and state law. Under the FLSA, an employer may […]
In what will no doubt be viewed as a landmark decision, an interest arbitration panel has issued an award which will allow the New Haven Public Schools to privatize 86 of the 186 positions in its custodial and maintenance union, and in the process save nearly $4 million dollars. Faced with skyrocketing pension and health […]
As discussed in our previous posts, here and here, Connecticut’s new paid sick leave law went into effect on January 1, 2012. Among its many requirements is an obligation for employers to provide adequate notice of the law to employees. Most employers likely satisfy this requirement by displaying the notice poster created by the Department of Labor. Though […]
According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, a California jury recently awarded a hospital employee $168 million, including $125 million in punitive damages, to a female physician assistant who endured two years of sexually inappropriate behavior and then was fired for reporting the harassment as well as patient care violations. The perpetrators included cardiac […]
