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 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 […]
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 […]
Most of the time, when an employer terminates an employee, and that employee sues, a court will not let an employer introduce evidence uncovered after the decision to terminate. However an exception has been added due to a recent decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals where it was held that evidence that is uncovered after […]
State representatives out of the 95th and 93rd districts have proposed Senate Bill No. 263 which would extend the whistleblower protections afforded to employees who report violations of law and other abuses. Under the current law, Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51m, an employer may not penalize any employee because the employee reports a violation or suspected violation […]
Beginning January 1, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) will begin enforcing its new workplace reporting rules which requires quicker reporting of severe injuries within 24-hours and an employment fatality within 8-hours. The time to report begins when the employer learns of the injury and/or fatality. Under the new regulations, a severe injury […]
Connecticut employers need to re-evaluate whether they are covered by the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law based on changes to the statute. Broadly speaking, the law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to certain employees. Earlier this year, the legislature amended the law in […]
