Connecticut

Connecticut recently became the first state in the country to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by the year 2017, the same rate that President Barack Obama has been seeking for the federal minimum wage. Connecticut lawmakers passed the historic bill on March 26, 2014, and it was signed in

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has signed legislation to increase Connecticut’s hourly minimum wage incrementally to $10.10 over the next three years. The new maximum rate will become effective January 1, 2017.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has signed legislation to increase Connecticut’s hourly minimum wage over two years by $.75 to $9.00 by January 1, 2015.

On Friday, July 12, 2013, Connecticut's Governor Dannel P. Malloy vetoed a bill that would have restricted the use of non-compete agreements in the context of mergers and acquisitions. The proposed bill, "An Act Concerning Employer Use of Noncompete Agreements," Public Act No. 13-309 (the Act), woul

The Connecticut Personnel Files Act gives employees in the state the right to inspect their personnel files. Governor Dannel Malloy has signed into law significant amendments to the Act that become effective October 1, 2013. Senate Bill 910 creates a distinction between current and former employees

On the final day of the most recent Connecticut legislative session, the General Assembly passed a bill titled “An Act Concerning Employer Use of Noncompete Agreements” (the Act). Despite the broadly worded title, the ostensibly narrow focus of the Act is to restrict the use of non-compete agreement

Connecticut has added several burdensome obligations to state statutes that give employees the right to inspect, copy and rebut their personnel files. At the urging of legal aid lawyers and other employee advocates, the legislature passed Public Act No. 13-176 (the Act) despite strong opposition fro

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy has signed two laws expanding benefits and protections to veterans. The first would reinstate eligibility for state benefits to any veterans discharged from the armed services, regardless of discharge classification, who were denied benefits solely based on thei

In Connecticut, a private employer’s right to discipline an employee for speech made within the scope of his employment and as part of his official duties was established when the Connecticut Supreme Court issued its ruling in Schumann v. Dianon Systems, Inc., 43 A.3d 111, 304 Conn. 585 (Conn. 2012)

In a much-anticipated ruling, the Connecticut Supreme Court has held that employers in Connecticut are not subject to the provisions of the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act unless they employ at least 75 employees within the state. Velez v. Commissioner of Labor, et al., Nos. SC 18683 & 1868

A Connecticut state court recently found non-compete/non-solicitation agreements unreasonable and therefore unenforceable because the agreements did not protect any legitimate business interest. Creative Dimensions, Inc. v. Laberge is an unusual case in that the court found the agreements were reaso

The Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA) prohibits discrimination based on an employee's physical disability, and provides a broad definition as to what constitutes a physical disability. While the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) explicitly forbids discrimination against e

The Federal Arbitration Act preempts California law disfavoring the enforcement of a class action waiver in employee arbitration agreements, the California Court of Appeal has ruled. Iskanian v. CLS Transp. Los Angeles, LLC, No. B235158 (Cal. Ct. App. June 4, 2012). The Court noted the U.S. Supreme

Beginning on October 1, 2012, Connecticut residents will be able to smoke marijuana to alleviate symptoms of a debilitating medical condition without fear of arrest or prosecution by Connecticut authorities, or adverse employment action by employers in the state. The new law, entitled An Act Concern

On April 25, 2012, a Connecticut federal district court resolved an unfair competition discovery dispute concerning an alleged April Fool’s Day website post and bulk e-mail that the plaintiff claimed decreased attendance at a competitor’s conference. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joan Margolis ruled HR cons

Connecticut state law, like the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), requires employers to pay non-exempt employees one-and-one-half times their regular rate of pay for any hours worked in a workweek in excess of 40. A Connecticut Superior Court has held that the fluctuating workweek method (“

Employers in Connecticut have a duty to protect employees from harassment based on sexual orientation that is just as compelling as their duty to prevent workplace harassment based on race, sex and other protected characteristics. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recently made this clear in Patino

The Connecticut Department of Labor has issued guidance on the new Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2012. The guidance is available from the Department’s website, at http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/wgwkstnd/SickLeaveGuidance.pdf. (See our article, What Employers

New and revised employment laws from the Connecticut legislature’s latest session will affect all employers in the state. Here are some highlights...:

Legislation significantly amending the procedures governing how the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities will process complaints takes effect October 1, 2011. Although new Public Act No. 11-237 is an attempt to shorten the time that a charge remains pending at the CHRO once a mer