The 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
Tag Archives: labor
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
Hearing Held on Workplace Bullying Bill at General Assembly
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Legislative DevelopmentsThe General Assembly’s Labor & Public Employee Hearing on various labor bills went forward as scheduled on Tuesday. Among the topics – the workplace bullying bill that I first reported on on Monday. Senate Bill 60 would create a private cause of action for workplace bullying. However, even if the bill passes the labor committee,… Continue Reading
February 28th Hearing at the Connecticut Capitol Features Discussion of Labor Bills including Paid Sick Leave
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsAs I posted yesterday, the Connecticut General Assembly is back in session. The Labor & Public Employees Committee is busy holding hearings this week on various bills now pending before the General Assembly. One batch of bills is up for consideration this afternoon. A second batch is up for a hearing this Thursday at 2:30… Continue Reading
Connecticut General Assembly Schedules Two Hearings on Pending Labor Bills This Week
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsWith the Connecticut General Assembly back in session this month for its short session, the Labor & Public Employees Committee has scheduled two hearings this week — February 26th at 2 p.m. and February 28th at 2:30 p.m. — to consider a variety of bills now being proposed. The agendas for each can be found… Continue Reading
Teaching Kids About Labor Strikes — “Click, Clack, Moo – Cows That Type”
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceFor human resources professionals and labor and employment attorneys, explaining what you do to adults is difficult enough. But how do you explain work issues to your kids? Or for the non-lawyers out there, how do you explain things like the television writer’s strike that allow more reality shows like American Gladiators to hit the… 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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