Connecticut Labor & Employment Law Journal

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released an update to its technical guidance, adding a new section clarifying under what circumstances COVID-19 could be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, which could then require an employer to provide a “reasonable accommodation” absent undue hardship. The Department of Justice and Department […]

In 2019, Connecticut joined neighboring states New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island in passing a paid leave bill. Under the PFMLA  employees may be eligible for paid leave for life events covered under the federal and state FMLA, and the Connecticut Family Violence Leave Act. The bill also made sweeping changes to the State’s […]

On November 4, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its long-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing by January 4, 2022. The ETs also required employers to determine the vaccine status of their employees […]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it has “suspended its activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS [Emergency Temporary Standard] pending future development in the litigation.” This announcement comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the stay to the implementation of the ETS. The Court […]

Reminder – Connecticut employers must begin paying $13 per hour to their employees, effective August 1, 2021.  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 $13 per hour […]

A new Connecticut law aims to address the impacts of the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, that applies to public sector employers. In Janus, the Court held that public sector unions cannot require employees, as a condition of an employment, to pay union dues or agency fees because doing so […]

On June 16, 2021, President Biden signed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a federal public holiday.  This advisory explains what Connecticut employers need to know about Juneteenth and its observance. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.  On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas received word that they […]