In an effort to remove clouds of secrecy that may surround sexual misconduct claims, Congress recently passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (“the Act”). Arbitration is typically a confidential process, while court proceedings are public. To bring more sexual misconduct claims into public forums, this Act amends the Federal […]
Governor Lamont announced a plan to end the statewide mask mandate for schools and childcare centers in Connecticut effective February 28, 2022. The plan places the decision whether to require masks in schools and childcare centers with local authorities. With Governor Lamont’s emergency powers set to expire on February 15, 2022, the governor reached an […]
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 […]
The NLRB’s General Counsel addressed that question in a recently issued memorandum outlining employers’ obligations with respect to compliance with the ETS. The ETS requires private sector employers with over 100 employees to adopt and implement mandatory vaccine policies for their workforces. The ETS is currently on hold because of a decision from the 5th Circuit Court […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its emergency temporary standard (ETS) today requiring private sector employers with over 100 employees adopt and implement mandatory vaccine policies for their workforces. While the ETS totals more than 400 pages, here are the highlights and relevant timeline: December 5, 2021 – unvaccinated employees must begin wearing […]
As anticipated, late Monday night, the State legislature extended Governor Lamont’s emergency powers by February 22, 2022. Yesterday, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 14, which extends the deadlines for several previous Orders, including the most recent ones dealing with mandatory vaccines for certain health care workers, state employees, school employees, and those working in […]
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 […]
