The Connecticut General Assembly is back at work so it’s time to take a quick peek to see what’s percolating. The Connecticut Business and Industry Association highlighted the “captive audience” bill as bill that is resurfacing, even though the Attorney General has previously raised doubts about the constitutionality of it. The bill would restrict communications… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: labor
Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of Workers and New Bargaining with Union
Posted in Labor Law & NRLBThe headlines this week have already written the obituaries for unions, at least in Michigan, where the state passed a new “right to work” law. But here in Connecticut, unions may be weakened, but, when bolstered by the NLRB, they can still put a fight. A new federal court case in Connecticut this week handed… Continue Reading
Secrets of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Annual Conference
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Litigation, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media, Wage & HourThe American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Annual Conference is going on right now in Atlanta, Georgia. As I’ve recapped on this blog before (here, for example), there are some terrific programs and educational opportunities there. I wasn’t able to make it down this year, but due to the wonders of technology, I’ve been… Continue Reading
Election 2012: What Debate Questions Would You Ask Rep. Paul Ryan
Posted in Labor Law & NRLB, Laws and Regulations, Legislative DevelopmentsAs we continue our series this week of highlighting employment law issues for the candidates, next up is Rep. Paul Ryan. (For previous posts and groundrules, see here, here, and here.) Your record on the Employment Non-discrimination Act is, to be blunt, muddy at best. You appear to have once voted for passage of the Act,… Continue Reading
Election 2012: What Debate Questions Would You Ask Mitt Romney?
Posted in Highlight, Labor Law & NRLB, Legislative DevelopmentsAll this week, this blog (and other employment law blogs — here, here, here and here) are posting employment law-related questions for the major-party candidates for President and Vice President. Today’s turn: Mitt Romney. (For a recap of this process — and a reminder that these questions should not be interpreted as being “for” or “against”… Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Medical Marijuana, Failure to Promote Standard, Starbucks and the NLRB, Labor Agreements, Social Media Policies
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Legislative Developments, Social MediaBack from Memorial Day weekend, there’s plenty of employment law news that I haven’t had time to write about. So here’s a brief recap of some recent items that may be of interest to employers: With Connecticut passing a new medical marijuana bill, one question that has arisen is whether the ADA protects employees using… Continue Reading
Legislative Update: Minimum Wage Hike, Personnel Files Act and Unemployment Discrimination Bills Fail
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsThe General Assembly finished its business for 2012 last night and although there was a last minute flurry of legislation, several bills that had been tracked by many employers came up short. Senate Bill 79, which passed the Senate, would have made it illegal for employers to refuse to hire someone based on being unemployed…. Continue Reading
New Penalties for Wage Claims, Unemployment Discrimination, Payroll Cards On Hearing Agenda
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourAnd all of a sudden, things just got very busy at the Connecticut General Assembly. On Tuesday, several labor & employment law bills are up for discussion and debate at a public hearing scheduled at 2 p.m. (details here). One of the bills is the newest hot topic — the House version of the unemployment… Continue Reading
Legislative Session Begins; Discrimination Against Unemployed on the Agenda
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Featured, Highlight, Legislative DevelopmentsThe new legislative session at the Connecticut General Assemblybegan last week and the Labor & Public Employee Committee wasted no time setting an agenda for bills for discussion in this short legislative session. At a committee meeting last Thursday, the Committee discussed a variety of items to be discussed and proposed as bills. Among the… Continue Reading
An Overview of “Right to Work”
Posted in Labor Law & NRLBAnyone who has read this blog for a while knows that I am a big fan of the Office of Legislative Research, a little-known office at the Connecticut General Assembly. They produce reports, backgrounders and items like that for legislators and release them to the public. As a result, you can get some free research… Continue Reading
The NLRB’s Obsession with Social Media Continues
Posted in Labor Law & NRLB, Social MediaA confession. I’m a little tired about writing about social media and labor law. Perhaps you are a little tired about reading about it too. Unfortunately for us both, expect a lot more about it over the next years because the National Labor Relations Board has social media in its sights and its not letting… Continue Reading
Chamber of Commerce Releases Report on NLRB & Social Media
Posted in Labor Law & NRLB, Social MediaLast week, while I was out on vacation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released an interesting report analyzing all of the NLRB’s actions in cases involving social media. You can read the report here. The report confirms something that I’ve commented on before — that many of the cases are (or were handled) at the… Continue Reading
New Book Published: Think Before You Click
Posted in Highlight, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social MediaDespite authoring this blog, I must confess that I always thought it would be neat if I could author a book. I’m pleased to announce that I can check one thing off my bucket list, at least in part. I can now announce the publication (finally) of ” Think Before You Click: Strategies for Managing… Continue Reading
Malloy’s Plan B – Big Cuts to DOL, CHRO, Judicial Branch
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Legislative DevelopmentsThe other shoe has dropped. For now. Governor Malloy late today released his official “Plan B” detailing the layoffs expected as a result of the union concession vote. And it’s ugly. It calls for a 15 percent staff reduction at the Department of Labor, 30 percent reduction at the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities,… Continue Reading
It’s Back! Paid Sick Leave Bill Narrowly Passes Committee; On the General Assembly
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsThe oft-debated paid sick leave bill has made another appearance at the legislature. And as in the past, it has been voted out of the committee, this time by a narrow vote of 6-5 on Thursday, March 3rd. None of this ought to come as any surprise. It’s been voted out of committee for the last… Continue Reading
Courant Headline Says Unions Down 17 Percent. Really? Uh, No.
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceUPDATED 2 p.m. About five weeks ago, I wrote about the new Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed union membership and representation was down in Connecticut in 2010 from 17.1 percent of the overall workforce to 16.7, or in raw numbers from 265,000 workers to 258,000. But I also noted that compared with 2007 (when… Continue Reading
What’s Cooking at the General Assembly? The Usual Dishes and a Few Cookies
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsWith winter’s fierce grip on us continuing, there’s nothing like a warm dish to make the outside chill melt away. Certainly, there will be a few of us having some chili this weekend to watch football. So, a few weeks into the new legislative session, it’s time to see what’s cooking at the Connecticut General… Continue Reading
US Department of Labor Teams with ABA For Lawyer Referral Service
Posted in Wage & HourOn Friday, the White House announced a new partnership with the ABA designed to help workers whose complaints aren’t resolved by the U.S. Department of Labor find a lawyer through an ABA-approved lawyer referral service. According to the ABA Journal article explaining the program: [B]eginning on Dec. 13, workers with unresolved complaints under the… Continue Reading
ABA Labor & Employment Law Conference Kicks Off Tomorrow; Great Materials Now Available
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceThe American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section kicks off its annual conference tomorrow in Chicago and, by all accounts, it appears its going to be bigger and better than ever. Over 1300 people have registered for the conference, and the programming looks first-rate, with NLRB Chair Wilma Liebman, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, and various… Continue Reading
History Lesson for Candidates: Recalling Prior State Layoffs and the Seven-Year-Old Lawsuit
Posted in LitigationAt last night’s gubernatorial debate, the issue of potential layoffs of state union workers was a hot topic of conversation. (See CT News Junkie for a more detailed report.) Each candidate indicated that layoffs weren’t ruled out if elected. That’s all very well and good, but none of them have mentioned how a prior… Continue Reading
Quick Takes: New Executive Orders on Federal Contractors, More Ledbetter, AT&T Layoffs, Union Rolls, Lawsuit Avoidance
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and RegulationsSince it is another snowy day here in Connecticut, it seems like another opportune time to post about some of the items worth reading and catching up on over the last few days. On Friday, President Obama announed three new executive orders that give broad power now to the Secretary of Labor. These orders involve… Continue Reading
Looking for a “Change?” Transition Site Up With Lists of Legislative Agendas
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsLooking to make a change? Or curious about what the new Obama administration will have on its agenda? Then the new administration website, Change.gov, is for you. It’s now up (but as of 2 p.m., barely running — likely due to the massive traffic the site is facing so give it a little time). Parts… Continue Reading
What One Question Regarding Labor & Employment Law Would You Ask the Candidates During the Debates?
Posted in Laws and RegulationsThe Presidential debates and Vice-Presidential debate are coming up later this month. A lot has been written about what the candidates’ respective positions are (and a lot has been written on everything BUT the issues). For some recent discussions of various issues, check out posts this week from the Delaware Employment Law Blog, Ohio Employer’s Law… Continue Reading
A Comparison of Connecticut Laws Regarding 14- and 15-Year Olds and Federal Law
Posted in Laws and RegulationsAs I reported a few weeks ago, 14- and 15-year-olds can legally work again in limited capacities in Connecticut. (Summer camp counselors are on the list.) But how does state law compare to federal law? Turns out the Office of Legislative Research has already done the research. OLR recently posted the results of their research… 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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