United States Senate bill, S.241 on the table this year proposes to expand the whistleblower protections of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (known as the McCaskill Amendment of the Act) to employees of employers who receive any federal funds—not just stimulus funds. The McCaskill Amendment protects employees of private contractors and state and local […]
On Wednesday, the State Senate narrowly (18-17) passed the bill requiring employers of fifty or more to provide paid sick leave to employees. This puts the act one step closer to passage. It heads to the House of Representatives next. However, the bill has been amended. In its current form, it applies only to “service […]
The much buzzed about Senate Bill 913, introduced by the Labor and Public Employees Committee, would require businesses that employ fifty or more to allow employees to take paid time off to recuperate from an illness or to care for a sick child. The bill would allow permanent full-time and part-time employees to accrue paid […]
The Americans with Disabilities Act was amended in 2008 (“ADAAA”) and imposed a number of significant changes, particularly as to the determination of who has a “disability” under the ADA. The ADAAA overturned several major Supreme Court cases and caused concern amongst employers attempting to figure out how the changes would impact their obligations under […]
On the heels of the well publicized settlement this past February between the Hartford office of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) and AMR of Connecticut resulting from the NLRB’s complaint that the employer unlawfully terminated an employee in response to the employee’s criticism of her supervisor on Facebook, another social media issue has caught […]
All eyes are on the United States Supreme Court in a case that involves millions of female employees facing off against the nation’s largest retailer. The United States Supreme Court heard arguments in March on the most closely watched case before it this year, and the largest employment class action in history, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. […]
Employers in the construction industry should not be surprised if the Department of Labor comes knocking at their door in the near future. Recently, the Hartford office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced an enforcement initiative to identify and eliminate wage and hour violations through increased compliance with the federal […]
Apparently Connecticut Is No Wisconsin. Despite ground breaking legislation in Wisconsin, Michigan and other locales aimed at providing relief for cash strapped municipalities, none of the initiatives proposed in Connecticut have found any traction in Committee. Among the reforms sought was one which would have kept interest arbitration intact, but provided minor relief, such as […]
In a decision which is likely to change the dynamics of interest arbitration proceedings in Connecticut, the Freedom of Information Commission has ruled that the decades long presumption that teacher interest arbitration hearings are closed to the public, is incorrect. In the case at issue, the Waterbury Republican-American Newspaper sought entry to an interest arbitration […]
Recent developments following the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election results indicate that the NLRB will affect sweeping changes in 2011 making union organizing easier and compliance more onerous and expensive for employers. Employers face greater enforcement mechanisms, modifications to agency policies and procedures, and additional regulatory requirements under certain initiatives implemented and under consideration. […]
