The novel coronavirus has reached Connecticut. Employers are facing decisions many have never faced before, such as implementing widespread telecommuting measures or even temporarily shutting down business. There are countless employment law questions that arise...
All Employers Must Update Their New-Hire Paperwork by May 1
Starting May 1, 2020, 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. You must use the form with edition date 10/21/2019. The date appears in the lower left-hand corner of the...
CADILLAC TAX REPEALED!
In a rare bi-partisan move, just before the Christmas break Congress passed a spending bill for 2020 that included a repeal of the so-called Cadillac tax. The tax, which was an excise tax on costly health plans, was due to go into effect on January 1, 2022, after a...
DOL Issues Final Overtime Rule
Back in March 2019, we advised that the U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule that would change the minimum salary threshold for the so-called “white collar exemptions.” On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its long awaited final...
Reminder to Public Employers: Health Plan disclosures due to State October 1
Municipal and Board of Education employers may have recently received an email from the State Comptroller reminding them that the deadline to comply with new legislation requiring submission of certain information regarding employee health plans to the State is fast...
Sweeping FMLA Changes Coming to Connecticut Employers
Late Friday, Connecticut joined neighboring states New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island and became the latest state to pass a paid leave bill. Governor Lamont has signaled he will sign the measure when it reaches his desk. The bill makes sweeping changes to current...
What’s in a Number? CHRO Data Demonstrates the Impact of #MeToo on Discrimination Complaints In Connecticut
Last week the CHRO released its case data for FY 2018. Overall, the numbers do not dramatically differ from FY 2017. However, perhaps not surprisingly given the media coverage of the viral #MeToo movement beginning in October 2017, some notable increases emerged....
Flu Season is Coming – Should Employers Require Vaccines?
The flu cost U.S. employers an estimated $21 billion in lost productivity last year. The 2018-2019 flu season is just beginning. What should employers do to avoid crippling productivity? One option is requiring each employee to be vaccinated each year against...
DOL updates FMLA forms
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued new FMLA Notice and Certification forms for use by employers subject to federal FMLA requirements. The DOL is required to update these forms every three years under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. The previous forms...
Supreme Court Gives Employers a Big Victory: Upholds Class Action Arbitration Waivers
The Supreme Court on Monday, in a 5-4 decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, No. 16–285 (U.S. May 21, 2018) (consolidated cases), ruled that companies can use arbitration clauses in employment contracts to prohibit workers from banding together to take legal action...