On September 2, 2026, the Second Circuit handed employers a win in Siren Retail Corp. v. NLRB, No. 24-3168, rejecting the NLRB’s Tesla test and calling for a more balanced approach to evaluating workplace dress code restrictions.
Background
Back in 2022, several employees at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in New York City wore
Connecticut employers, mark your calendars: the state’s minimum wage will rise again on January 1, 2027. Connecticut’s minimum wage is adjusted each January 1 based on the Employment Cost Index change for the 12-month period ending June 30 of the prior year. This system was adopted in 2019, and the DOL generally publishes the new
Employers have been required to file the EEO-1 report since 1966, submitting an annual accounting of their workforce by race, ethnicity, sex, and job category. On July 21, 2026, the EEOC voted 2-1 to move forward with a proposed rule that would eliminate it, along with several related surveys.
What Happened
The EEOC voted along
Employers in Connecticut and New York who thought they had a solid handle on religious accommodation law just got a new wrinkle. Last week, the Second Circuit adopted a new prima facie standard for failure-to-accommodate-religion claims under Title VII. The decision vacates summary judgment for an employee who was terminated for refusing to comply with
Connecticut employers have just a few months to prepare for sweeping new workplace laws taking effect this fall.
In this episode of From Lawyer to Employer, host Dan Schwartz is joined by Shipman attorney Sarah Niemiroski to break down the most significant employment law changes from the 2026 Connecticut legislative session. Together, they discuss
What Changed. On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to rescind two agency policy documents that had been in place for roughly 40 years: the Guidelines on Affirmative Action Appropriate Under Title VII (29 C.F.R. Part 1608) and Compliance Manual Section 607 – Affirmative Action. Together, these documents provided
Employers across the country are increasingly confronting a frustrating trend: a stark disconnect between what candidates promise on paper and what they deliver at work. In a competitive labor market, more job applicants appear to be inflating their skills, padding their years of experience, and claiming proficiencies they do not actually possess. The pattern goes
If your company uses arbitration to resolve employment disputes in Connecticut (and many do), a new law signed by Governor Lamont on June 4, 2026, may have just changed who can serve as your arbitrator.
Public Act 26-92 (Substitute Senate Bill No. 475), “An Act Concerning Judicial Branch Operations,” is a sweeping judicial administration bill.
On May 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) released four new opinion letters addressing difficult FLSA questions from employers and employees. These are the agency’s official interpretation of the law, and employers who follow them get a legal safe harbor. Here’s what you need to know.
Can Your Exempt Employees
On May 19, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously held in Sabatini v. Knouse, SJC-13781, that individuals in academic settings can be held personally liable for sexual harassment under M.G. L. c. 214, § 1C. Until this decision, professors and advisors accused of sexual harassment could argue that the statute permitted suits only