Labor & Employment

Subscribe to Labor & Employment

Connecticut Governor, Ned Lamont recently issued a new Executive Order (EO 13G) that requires certain employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 by September 27, 2021. The mandate applies to: current and future state employees, state hospital employees, public and non-public pre-K to grade 12 school system employees and child care center, group child care home, family…

On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced a series of proposals to combat the uptick in the COVID-19 pandemic more aggressively. The Plan outlines six main components, some of which will impose new requirements on employers. Included is a plan for “Vaccinating the Unvaccinated,” a rule that will require private employers with 100 or more…

Plan administrators have until September 15, 2021 to distribute notices of the approaching end of the COBRA subsidy period under the American Rescue Plan Act (“Rescue Plan Act”), which by law expires after September 30, 2021.

As we previously discussed in March and April of this year, the Rescue Plan Act requires that Assistance Eligible…

As the Delta variant has caused another wave of COVID cases and hospitalizations, employers are again asking whether they can mandate that their employees become vaccinated against COVID-19 and what other steps should be taken to protect those who are immunocompromised or who remain unvaccinated. Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Occupational…

In 49 out of 50 states (Montana being the exception) the default status of employment arrangements between employers and employees is “at will.” This ostensibly means what it sounds like it means—i.e., employees can quit whenever and for whatever reason they choose, and employers can fire an employee for any reason so long as it’s…

Employees will be eligible to take paid family and medical leave starting January 1, 2022. Join our Labor & Employment partners as they roll up their sleeves and discuss what employers must do to prepare.

Carmody is offering two complimentary, highly interactive one-hour workshops. These workshops are intended for anyone responsible for administering workplace policies.…

Connecticut recently amended the sexual harassment training requirements to allow certain training to be “transferable” for a limited period. Beginning October 1, 2021, employees who completed training at the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, either in person or online, can transfer their compliance certificate to their new employer if they completed it…

On July 1, 2021, nearly 100 new laws took effect in Connecticut. Below is a summary of some key new laws that will affect employers and the workplace.

Minimum Wage Increase—Effective August 1, 2021, Connecticut’s minimum wage increased from $12 per hour to $13 per hour. The minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour on July 1, 2022 and to $15 per hour on June 1, 2023. Beginning January 1, 2024, the minimum wage will be published in the employment cost index, which is computed by the U.S. Department of Labor, and for the first time in Connecticut, the rate will rise in accordance with economic indicators.

Recreational Marijuana—Connecticut became the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years and older. The new law will eventually permit the retail sale of marijuana, and erase certain marijuana-related convictions and provides employment protections for recreational marijuana use. Employment-related provisions will come into effect July 1, 2022.

Employers may continue to prohibit employees from working under the influence of marijuana, and from possessing or using marijuana while performing duties or on the employer’s premises.  However, beginning July 1, 2022, non-exempt employers (i.e., employers who are subject to the employment-provisions in the Act) may not prohibit the off work use of cannabis or take adverse action against a non-exempt employee (i.e., an employee who is protected under the Act) or a potential employee for a positive Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) test unless the employer has adopted a policy that states otherwise. Therefore, employers should review and update their drug and alcohol policy, as appropriate. …
Continue Reading New Employment Laws in Connecticut

As a result of a spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant, the CDC now recommends that everyone, including individuals who are fully vaccinated, wear face coverings when indoors in places of substantial or high community transmission. According to the CDC, infections happen only in a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, and the same is true with the Delta variant. However, preliminary evidence indicates that fully vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. Thus, the CDC recommends that vaccinated individuals: …
Continue Reading CDC Announces Revised Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated Individuals

The subject of taxation of employee benefits made rare headlines earlier this month when a New York grand jury indicted the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, for tax crimes relating to unreported fringe benefits. The indictment alleges that Weisselberg intentionally failed to report and pay taxes on over $1.75 million of…