In the recent decision, Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, et al, the United States Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state and public-sector unions to deduct agency fees or any other payments to the union from a nonmember’s wages without their consent. The basis for the Court’s decision is that it is a… Read More »
Nearly ninety percent of states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, allow the limited possession of marijuana for medical treatment. However, federal law still designates marijuana as contraband for any purpose. That means that an individual lawfully prescribed marijuana for medical purposes under a state law is potentially subject to federal… Read More »
The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) recently released its 2016-2017 statistics. The CHRO is the state agency tasked with eliminating discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit transactions. The 2016-17 statistics show a drop in the number of discrimination complaints for the first time in several years. The CHRO received a… Read More »
In May 2016, I wrote about the changes the Obama Administration had made to the overtime rule in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which were set to take effect on December 1, 2016. You can read that post here. In short, the changes more than doubled the threshold salary level for employees to be… Read More »
Yes. An employer may require employees to work more than 40 hours in one calendar week as long as the employer pays the employee overtime compensation (1 ½ times the employee’s regular rate) for all hours worked over 40. It does not matter if the days on which the hours are worked are Saturdays, Sundays… Read More »
The legislature passed a bill expanding protections for pregnant employees. The bill, called “An Act Concerning Pregnant Women in the Workplace,” awaits Governor Malloy’s signature. State law already makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against a woman because of her pregnancy, and much of the existing law will remain under the bill. For… Read More »
In August 2016, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) ruled that graduate students and adjunct professors at private colleges and universities are employees and, therefore, can join unions. The NLRB is the federal agency that enforces the federal law that grants most private sector non-supervisory employees the right to form unions, as well… Read More »
The Second Circuit (which covers Connecticut) recently issued a decision that may surprise you. In NLRB v. Pier Sixty, LLC, the court held that an employee’s Facebook post containing expletives and insults aimed at his manager and his manager’s mother was protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA is a federal… Read More »
Teachers and administrators well know that personal information about themselves is regularly acquired by school districts and sequestered in file cabinets or desk drawers within the environs of the superintendent’s office. Letters, memos, and other papers, including emails and faxes, may be stored in these “confidential” files and potentially be utilized in decision-making concerning a… Read More »
The Connecticut House of Representatives voted to pass a pay equity bill, and the Senate will have its opportunity to vote on the same bill soon. Even though the bill has not become law yet, it is worth taking a look at in light of what has been happening on this topic both on the… Read More »
