A recent judgment awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages (including emotional distress) resulting from an employer’s inaction against a customer who for more than a year engaged in a pattern of harassment including inappropriately touching the employee and stalking. In EEOC v. Costco, the EEOC proved that Costco failed to take steps to protect an employee from […]
Starting January 22, 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. I-9s must be completed on all new hires who will perform work in the United States. Employers may switch to the new form now or may […]
Connecticut employers must begin paying $10.10 per hour to their employees on January 1, 2017. For hotel and restaurant employees who normally receive sufficient gratuities, the employer must pay at least $6.38 per hour ($8.23 for bartenders) under the new minimum wage, but the employee must still make at least $10.10 per hour including tips […]
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a rule requiring employers to pay most employees a minimum of $913 per week in order for them to be exempt from overtime under federal law. This rule more than doubled the existing salary threshold of $455 per week and was slated to go into effect December 1. […]
This election, seven states and the District of Columbia passed expansive marijuana laws that permitted the recreational use of marijuana or cannabinoids. This means that within these states and the District of Columbia people can openly smoke or ingest cannabis with no criminal repercussions. While Connecticut has not embraced this libertine attitude toward marijuana use, […]
Election Day is rapidly approaching and voter turnout is expected to be particularly high. While many states have laws providing time off for employees to vote, Connecticut is not one of them. How should employers handle requests for time off to vote? Polls in Connecticut are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. A voter […]
On October 11, 2016, less than a week away, a final rule amending the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will take effect. The new regulations will provide guidance to local government entities, including school districts, regarding the interpretation and application of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Important for educators, […]
The Second Circuit recently adopted the “cat’s paw” theory of liability for retaliation claims brought under Title VII, holding that “an employee’s retaliatory intent may be imputed to an employer where the employer’s own negligence gives effect to the employee’s retaliatory animus and cause the victim to suffer an adverse employment decision.” Vasquez v. Empress Ambulance […]
Effective July 1, 2016, local or regional boards of education, governing councils of state or local charter schools and inter-district magnet school operators (collectively “BOEs”), are going to have to follow new requirements for hiring education personnel. The state legislature recently enacted Public Act 16-67 (“the Act”) in response to a new provision in the […]
A recent decision from the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) may significantly weaken the “management rights” clauses found in many collective bargaining agreements. A management rights clause reserves certain rights to management, often anything not covered by the collective bargaining agreement. When a right is reserved to management, it can be changed unilaterally by the employer without […]
