A new revised bill (in the form of an amendment) to amend the state discrimination statutes and amend the CHRO procedures has been posted on the Connecticut General Assembly’s site this afternoon. The amendment (8532) can be found in the information for S.B. 1164 A review of the language shows a few changes, including the… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: cchro
Legislative Update: Minimum Wage and Updated CHRO Bill
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourTwo quick updates to items I’ve covered before. Yesterday, the state Senate approved of an increase to minimum wage by 75 cents, over two years. The bill would raise the minimum wage to $8.70 on January 1, 2014 and $9.00 an hour the following year. The Governor has pledged to sign the bill but it… Continue Reading
Employer Alleges “Inherently Conflicted and Irreparably Unfair Proceedings” at CHRO; Seeks Injunction
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, LitigationA new lawsuit filed last Thursday in Connecticut state court by an employer alleges that the employer’s due process rights are being violated by “inherently conflicted and irreparably unfair proceedings” at the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) — the state agency responsible for investigating and enforcing the state’s anti-discrimination laws. In the lawsuit, NERAC v. Krich,… Continue Reading
Shelton Challenges CHRO’s Award of Emotional Distress Damages and Attorneys Fees
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Highlight, LitigationOver the years, I’ve openly questioned whether the CHRO has been improperly awarding emotional distress damages and attorneys fees in employment discrimination claims. Indeed, back in February 2009, I noted “Nearly 15 years ago, the Connecticut Supreme Court came out with a pair of decisions that seemed to put to rest the question of whether the CHRO… Continue Reading
Computer Problems Continue to Plague CHRO
Posted in CHRO & EEOCOver the last year or so, I have been hearing on and off about problems that the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has been having with its computer system. Want statistics about how many cases are open or closed? Good luck, I’ve been told. In fact, the detailed statistics that the CHRO… Continue Reading
When is a Mandatory Deadline Less Than Mandatory? At the CHRO
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, Highlight, Laws and RegulationsRecently, the CHRO provided an update on the status of cases at the commission. In a comment to the blog, Charles Krich reported “the ratio of cases closed to cases filed is a bit over 90% during the July 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012 period (3/4 of this fiscal year). In FY 11 the… Continue Reading
CHRO Proposes New Equal Employment Opportunity Plan Regulations & Hearing
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Laws and RegulationsThe Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has released proposed new regulations that would require state agencies and the like to create an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan. These regulations would not apply to private employers so many of you can dispense with the worrying. The proposed regulations will replace the current ones. The CHRO… Continue Reading
CHRO Attorney Agrees Emphasis at Agency “Has Shifted From MAR to Mediation”
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Legislative DevelopmentsEarlier this week, I wrote about the perception among some that the CHRO has been retaining more cases for investigation by letting more cases through the Merit Assessment Review. These cases that used to be dismissed — mainly “frivolous” ones as I’ve collectively termed them — mean more headaches for employers who have to spend… Continue Reading
Are Any Cases Getting Thrown Out as “Frivolous” at the CHRO Anymore?
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, Laws and Regulations, LitigationAs I’ve noted before, the CHRO procedures were changed effective October 1, 2011. One question that we had at the time was whether the CHRO would be retaining more discrimination claims by employees for investigation — getting past the Merit Assessment Review stage. Previously, employers have had at least a little luck getting plainly… Continue Reading
Numbers Show That Sexual Harassment Claims on the Decline
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & HarassmentDid he or didn’t he? That’s what political pundits and others have been debating the last few weeks regarding presidential candidate Herman Cain. But a more interesting question is whether claims of sexual harassment are on the rise or not. Indeed, lost in the public discourse is a fact that isn’t talked about a lot:… Continue Reading
The Whole New World of the CHRO in a Powerpoint (Program Recap – Part II)
Posted in CHRO & EEOCYesterday, I recapped part of the CHRO program on the new Public Act 11-237 which revises the procedures for processing and investigating complaints. Next up was CHRO Principal Attorney Charles Krich. (Careful blog readers may note that he comments on the blog from time to time.) First off, Charlie gets kudos from me just for… Continue Reading
Imagine If There’s No CHRO. It’s Not Easy If You Try.
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Legislative DevelopmentsImagine there’s no ….. A few years ago it would have been unfathomable to be considering life in Connecticut without a Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. After all, it is a necessary step in filing a discrimination complaint in this state. Imagining a Connecticut without the CHRO? No way. But suddenly, dramatically, here we… Continue Reading
The Basics: What It Takes To File a Employment Discrimination Lawsuit
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationNewspapers this week seem enraptured with the idea that an employment discrimination lawsuit is news. It shouldn’t be. Why? Because all that a discrimination lawsuit is — by its fundamental nature — is a set of allegations against an employer. Nothing more, nothing less. That doesn’t mean, of course, that each lawsuit that is brought… Continue Reading
CHRO Executive Director Acknowledges Past Shortcomings, Promises Changes
Posted in CHRO & EEOCAt a packed gathering last night, new CHRO Executive Director Robert Brothers, Jr. did his best to defend the agency over the past mistakes while urging that he not be judged on that past history. He acknowledged in a meeting of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section that there "have been a… Continue Reading
CBA Labor & Employment Law Committee Meeting with New CHRO Executive Director
Posted in CHRO & EEOCKudos to Robert Brothers, the new Executive Director of the CHRO, for agreeing to meet with the Connecticut Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Committee. It is now set for February 25, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell, Connecticut. Full details are available here as well as instructions on how you… Continue Reading
New CHRO Agency Head: Changes are Coming
Posted in CHRO & EEOCThe Connecticut Law Tribune snagged an in-depth interview with new CHRO Executive Director Robert Brothers this week. in it, Brothers shares his views that the CHRO has made missteps in the past and that he is going to try to turn that around. Among the changes that he is considering are an revamp of the agency’s… Continue Reading
Followup: Fox61 Responds to Discrimination Complaint Brought by Reporter
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationLate today, Fox61 (also known as WTIC-TV) released the following statement in response to the publicity surrounding the complaint brought by Shelly Sindland (which I covered last night): Although WTIC-TV typically does not comment on personnel matters, in this case, because of the personal nature of Ms. Sindland’s attacks on the station and her colleagues,… Continue Reading
How Should Employers Respond to CHRO Complaints? Carefully
Posted in CHRO & EEOCI recently came across a blog post entitled "How to Respond to an EEOC Complaint" that got me thinking about how I would respond if the same question were asked about Connecticut’s state discrimination agency, the CHRO (Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities). In the particular post, the author sets forth several good, common-sense suggestions that… Continue Reading
Holding Down the Fort: CHRO Appoints New Acting Executive Director and Advisory Group Report Expected Soon
Posted in CHRO & EEOCUpdated 6/25 to add additional information. It’s been several months since I last updated readers on the ups and downs of the CHRO, the state agency responsible for overseeing discrimination complaints in Connecticut. And for the last several months longtime employee Raymond Pech filled in as Executive Director without getting the sorts of headlines that… Continue Reading
CHRO Should Be Rebuilt, Says Courant Columnist and Others
Posted in CHRO & EEOCLast week, I posted about a working group that Governor Rell had formed to review the workings of the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). Today, Hartford Courant columnist Stan Simpson has an interesting column on the same subject. It’s worth a read. It discussed the ongoing backlog of complaint and the issues that the agency has… Continue Reading
CHRO Working Group To Assess Agency’s Ability to Meet Mission
Posted in CHRO & EEOCIn Connecticut, it’s well known that the state agency responsible for investigating complaints, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has been the subject of lots of discussion and criticism for over a decade, dating back to the years under Executive Director Louis Martin. Recently, a new series of criticisms have been heard… Continue Reading
About Daniel Schwartz
Trusted advisor. Experienced employment law attorney. Bar leader. Award-winning author. Noted Speaker. "Legal Rebel". All can be said to be apt descriptions of Daniel Schwartz, a member of Pullman & Comley. More +
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