Earlier this week I came across an article that was written by Aebra Coe and published in Employment Law360, entitled “Female In-House Attys Earn 84 Cents For Every Dollar Men Do.” This article is yet another reminder that regardless of occupation, women consistently have earned less pay for the same work. Despite the passage of…
On April 25, 2018, a Connecticut state court judge issued a decision giving a more expansive definition to the term “discipline” as it is used in Connecticut General Statutes § 31-51q (“Section 31-51q”). In doing so, the Court departed from the majority of previous state court decisions addressing this issue.
Section 31-51q prohibits an employer…
On occasion, many businesses provide unpaid internship opportunities. However, it is important to be sure the unpaid internship does not run afoul of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as some companies have learned the hard way that rather than having an unpaid intern they had an “employee” and ended up with wage and hour liability.…
Join Shipman & Goodwin labor and employment attorneys for this complimentary CLE webinar providing a discussion of changing laws and legal concerns related to opioids and medical marijuana in the workplace. Presenters will review recent court decisions, the interaction between state law and accommodations under the ADA and potential conflicts with federal laws. They will…
A recent decision from a federal court in Connecticut serves as a reminder of something you will likely hear whenever you consult a lawyer about the possibility of terminating an employee. Has the employee recently engaged in conduct or exercised a right that could provide grounds for a claim of unlawful retaliation if he or…
The Trump administration has already reversed or changed several positions taken by the Department of Labor (DOL) under the Obama administration. That trend continues with the DOL’s announcement of the forthcoming Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which will provide employers with an important opportunity to work with the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD)…
When employers consider whether or not to make an adjustment in job duties or work schedule in order to accommodate an employee with a disability, the question is complicated by the fact that the answer may depend on an opinion, ultimately that of a judge or a jury. Two recent court decisions in Connecticut, one…
In a unanimous decision earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that protections afforded by the Dodd-Frank Act to “whistleblowers” – employees who report suspected violations of securities laws – apply only to reports to the SEC, not employees’ internal reports of misconduct to their supervisors. In other words, the Court narrowed the protection against…
Many businesses bring on extra help for temporary or seasonal needs, and some even do all their hiring from the ranks of such workers, a practice known as “temp to perm.” Often the easiest way to find this kind of help is to contract with a staffing agency. But not all companies understand the details…
2018 is likely to see activity from the Department of Labor to increase the minimum salary amounts for overtime exempt employees. As you may recall, one of the most significant developments out of the Department of Labor in the recent past was the effort to increase this minimum salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act.…