Employment Law Letter

Your source for timely updates in Labor and Employment Law

September 22, 2020

With little fanfare, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities has updated its deadline for employers to complete sexual harassment prevention training by giving a blanket 90-day extension of time for all employers. Previously, that deadline was set for October 1, 2020 and extensions were only granted upon request. Now, with the Connecticut Governor extending the state of emergency through February 2021, the deadline for training has been extended to January 1, 2021 for all employers without…

Employment Law Letter

Connecticut Amends Travel Advisory Rules, Employees May Now Get Tested Instead of Quarantining

By Keegan Drenosky & Daniel Schwartz

September 21, 2020

Corona virus: vial with pipette in laboratory

Recent changes to the state’s travel quarantine rules should make it easy for employers to deal with employees who travel for business or vacation. Changes to the state’s travel advisory now allow employees to provide a negative test result to return to work after traveling to a state on Connecticut’s travel advisory list (“affected state”), in lieu of self-quarantining for 14 days. The changes are the result of back-to-back Executive Orders issued last week by…

Employment Law Letter

Following Court Ruling, DOL Clarifies Rules for FFCRA Intermittent Leave and Documentation Requirements

By Peter J. Murphy & Dori Pagé Antonetti

September 16, 2020

Earlier in the pandemic, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which has two main components: the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (“FMLA+”). Shortly before those new provisions became effective, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) provided additional guidance on both the EPSLA and FMLA+, which we summarized here. In August, however, a New York federal judge vacated several provisions of the…

Employment Law Letter

As Students Return to School, the U.S. DOL Clarifies the Use of Leave for Childcare-Related Purposes

By Peter J. Murphy & Dori Pagé Antonetti

September 8, 2020

Across Connecticut, and in other parts of the country, many students are returning to hybrid instructional models this week. This raises the question for employers, including school districts, of whether these schools are “closed” for reasons related to COVID-19 on remote learning days, and, if so, whether employees are entitled to paid Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) childcare leave on an intermittent basis on those days. This also raises the issue of what leave, if…

Employment Law Letter

Register Now For Sexual Harassment Prevention Webinar Training

By Daniel Schwartz & Keegan Drenosky

September 2, 2020

There are less than 30 days until the October 1, 2020* deadline for Connecticut employers to complete sexual harassment prevention training for all employees – supervisory and non-supervisory – as mandated by the Connecticut Times Up Act. Don’t wait until it’s too late – register your workforce for training today! This comprehensive training will protect you and your business from costly litigation by providing education on sexual harassment awareness in an interactive and engaging virtual format. WHEN: …

Employment Law Letter

Notice 2020-65 Payroll Tax Deferral: FAQ for Employers

By Joseph Indelicato, Ray Casella & Richard I. Cohen

September 2, 2020

On Friday, August 28, the IRS released Notice 2020-65 (the “Notice”), which provides limited guidance to employers considering whether and how to implement the President’s August 8 Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster (the “Memorandum”). The Memorandum had directed the Secretary of the Treasury (“Secretary”) to use his statutory authority to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of the employee portion of social security tax for employees making less than…

Employment Law Letter

Connecticut Updates Mask and Face Covering Rule Narrowing Medical Exemption

By Daniel Schwartz & Julia V. Wilde

August 18, 2020

On August 14, 2020, Connecticut issued Executive Order 7NNN which updates and supersedes Executive Order 7BB by requiring medical documentation in order for an individual to claim an exemption from the requirement to wear a mask or face covering in public places, businesses and other workplaces. The basic mask rule remains unchanged. Any individual in a public place, who for any reason, is within six feet of someone else, must cover their mouth and nose.…

Employment Law Letter

Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7JJJ: Worker’s Compensation Benefits for a COVID-19 Diagnosis?

By Daniel Schwartz & Bradley M. Harper

July 28, 2020

Following a trend seen in other states, Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont on Friday issued a new executive order changing the framework for handling COVID-19-related workers’ compensation cases. The order creates a rebuttable presumption that an employee’s COVID-19 diagnosis from mid-March to mid-May was an “occupational disease arising out of and in the course of employment,” potentially entitling an infected employee to certain benefits. The order also amends Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 31-290a to create additional…

Employment Law Letter

U.S. Supreme Court Limits Employees’ Rights to Bring Discrimination Claims Against Religious Schools

By Jarad M. Lucan, Daniel Schwartz & Julie C. Fay

July 9, 2020

On July 8, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that teachers of religious instruction at private religious schools are barred from bringing employment discrimination claims against their employer. In doing so, the Court clarified and expanded upon the “ministerial exception” previously articulated by the Court in 2012. In 2012, the Court had recognized that religious entities enjoyed a constitutionally protected right to make employment decisions regarding important positions (“ministers”). With this ruling, the Court has…

Employment Law Letter

CBA Pro Bono Virtual Legal Clinic: Shipman Lawyers Helping Small Businesses Navigate Legal Issues Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Vaughan Finn

June 25, 2020

Pro Bono legal assistance is available for small businesses or non-profits with 25 or fewer employees in Connecticut. As part of the nationwide program organized by Lawyers for Good Government, the Connecticut COVID-19 Small Business Virtual Legal Clinic was created and its mission is to help Connecticut’s entrepreneurs and small businesses that have suffered adversely from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing free, limited-scope legal advice. Shipman & Goodwin lawyers are proud to…

Employment Law Letter

Your source for timely updates in Labor and Employment Law

Blog Authors

On-Demand Webinar: Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

Connecticut Amends Travel Advisory Rules, Employees May Now Get Tested Instead of Quarantining

Following Court Ruling, DOL Clarifies Rules for FFCRA Intermittent Leave and Documentation Requirements

As Students Return to School, the U.S. DOL Clarifies the Use of Leave for Childcare-Related Purposes

Register Now For Sexual Harassment Prevention Webinar Training

Notice 2020-65 Payroll Tax Deferral: FAQ for Employers

Connecticut Updates Mask and Face Covering Rule Narrowing Medical Exemption

Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7JJJ: Worker’s Compensation Benefits for a COVID-19 Diagnosis?

U.S. Supreme Court Limits Employees’ Rights to Bring Discrimination Claims Against Religious Schools

CBA Pro Bono Virtual Legal Clinic: Shipman Lawyers Helping Small Businesses Navigate Legal Issues Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic

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