On March 6, 2019, Shipman & Goodwin attorney Dan Schwartz presented to the next group of startups chosen to participate in the Accelerator for Biosciences in Connecticut, or ABCT.  ABCT is a Branford-based program spearheaded by Design Technologies LLC, which supports Connecticut’s aim of being a bioscience hub. It’s an exciting time for new businesses in Connecticut like those chosen to participate in the program. But employment law issues are often an after-thought for startups;…

When Chastity Jones, a black woman from Alabama, lost a job offer because she refused to cut her natural locs, she turned to the federal courts. The company told Ms. Jones that her natural hairstyle violated the company’s grooming policy because locs “tend to get messy.” In response, Jones sought the assistance of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) which brought a Title VII claim against the company alleging racial discrimination. That case was…

Last year, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Janus v. AFSCME, resulting in numerous implications for public sector employers (you can read our guidance on the topic here). Now, several months later, we are taking a fresh look at how Janus continues to impact public employers and their relationships with unions. Join Labor and Employment attorneys Kevin Roy and Jarad Lucan for this complimentary CLE webinar providing an up-to-date analysis and…

Back last fall, we anticipated that this legislative session would be a busy one and so far, the number of bills being considered by the Connecticut General Assembly for employers is substantial. One of the bills that is receiving a fair amount of attention is one limiting employer use of so-called “captive audiences.” Senate Bills 64 and 440 are this year’s versions and would limit employers from being able to talk to their employees about…

For years now, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS), the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have been targeting Connecticut employers for worker misclassification audits. When a misclassification is discovered, these government entities can share information about employers who have misclassified employees as independent contractors. Thus, when one of these government entities finds a misclassification during an audit, audits from the other governmental entities are likely to arise.…

Shipman & Goodwin attorney Gabriel Jiran weighs in on the growing trend of employees using social media to communicate about issues of concern regarding their employers in the Law360 article “Digital-Age Workers Are Finding Their Voice On Social Media.” To read the full article, click here.…