On February 26, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, a case which should be watched by public employers and union officials as the fate of agency fees hangs in the balance. Agency fees are paid by non-union members to compensate the union for its […]
Buried in the nearly 900 page document which is the biennial budget legislation are two sentences that impose a new requirement on boards of education. Specifically, Section 157 of Public Act 17-2 from the June Special Session provides: Sec. 157. (NEW)(Effective from passage) Any local board of education shall file forthwith a signed copy of […]
The importance of training supervisors on how to recognize and deal with employee leave issues cannot be overstated. And here’s a painful example of why… Grace, an employee at a group home where she provided support to residents with mental impairments, was unexpectedly hospitalized due to a mental health condition. Grace had her son call […]
UPS recently agreed to pay a $2M to settle a disability discrimination suit brought by the EEOC relative to its maximum leave policy. The company’s policy required “administrative separation” if an employee was unable to return to work after 12 months. The EEOC said this inflexible leave policy violated the ADA. In addition to the […]
In a victory for employers in Connecticut and across the country, a federal district court in Texas last week invalidated the Obama Administration’s Department of Labor overtime regulation which sought to increase the salary threshold for the overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $913 per week […]
In response to Hurricane Harvey’s destruction in Texas and Louisiana, employees may wish to take time off from work to participate in the cleanup efforts. Employers may wonder what their obligations are when faced with requests for leave. Public Sector State employees who are certified disaster service volunteers with the American Red Cross may, with […]
A tuition reimbursement program can be a very attractive employee recruitment and retention tool, while simultaneously providing employers with the benefit of a more educated workforce. Launching a tuition reimbursement program sends employees the message that you value them and their growth enough to invest in their futures. Such programs can be tax-favored as well. […]
Starting September 18, 2017, all employers will be required to use a new I-9 Form, the form used to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States. The most recent change to the I-9 was less than a year ago, so it is important to ensure that you are using the edition dated […]
The United States Department of Justice recently filed a friend of the court brief with the Eastern District Court of New York arguing that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not cover sexual orientation. However despite what is taking place at the National level, Connecticut has a separate statute which governs discrimination against […]
It is illegal for public entities to discriminate against individuals with disabilities. No one disputes this premise. But did you know that if your website does not meet certain standards of accessibility you could be the subject of a complaint and investigation by OCR? In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights […]
