On October 18, 2019, the firm hosted its 31st Annual Labor and Employment Seminar at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Connecticut. Our annual seminar is a complimentary offering for our clients, which is eligible for SHRM, HRCI and Connecticut CLE credits. The event began with breakfast and an opportunity to mingle before the seminar. Following breakfast, our practice group attorneys covered significant developments including: • Changes to Connecticut’s Harassment and Discrimination Laws • #MeToo,…

In 2018, website accessibility lawsuits increased by 177%. Website accessibility lawsuits can arise when people with disabilities cannot use a company’s website because it does not use current technology. Businesses are required by federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), to accommodate people with disabilities. In 2018, Domino’s Pizza argued that it did not have to update its website to work for a blind customer as digital accessibility is not specified in…

Each year the new laws passed by the General Assembly generally take effect on October 1. Below are the new laws taking effect today that will affect employers and the workplace. Wage and Hour Changes The minimum wage has increased to $11. As we reported previously, the minimum wage will increase gradually to $15 by June 1, 2023.  Beginning January 1, 2024, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually and indexed to the federal…

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released the final version of its highly anticipated Fair Labor Standards Act overtime and minimum wage exemption rule, setting qualifications for exemption at an annual salary of $35,568. The final rule is effective January 1, 2020. Change is Coming  Under the new rule, the salary level threshold will increase from $455 per week (or $23,660 annually) to $684 per week (or $35,568 annually). The increase is in between the…

On September 12, 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published a formal notice in the Federal Register that it does not intend to renew collection of EEO-1 Component 2 pay data at this time. The EEOC is pausing the requirements after discovering it severely miscalculated the cost burden to employers of collecting the data. The EEOC initially estimated that the annual burden costs for employers to collect Component 1 and Component 2 data would…

On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed several pieces of legislation that bolster New York’s growing workplace protections. These laws will be implemented over the course of the next year. They will: • Increase protections for employees who are members of protected classes as well as for those who have been sexually harassed; • Prohibit nondisclosure agreements in discrimination cases, preventing employers from effectively silencing their employees; • Prohibit mandatory arbitration provisions in discrimination cases, allowing…

Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP will hold a training session for supervisors on Thursday, September 12th on the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace. The program will be presented from our Waterbury office, but individuals may also participate by video conference in our New Haven and Stamford offices. Registration starts at 8:15 a.m. and the program begins at 8:30 a.m. The fee is $75 per person and includes a continental breakfast. Connecticut law…