The Connecticut Appellate Court yesterday released two notable employment law decisions. They won’t become “official” until April 30, 2013, so you have some time to digest them. I’ll cover one today and leave the other for a future post (though if you’re really curious you can read it here.) To me, the more interesting of… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: law
A Look Back at Obama’s (First?) Four Years and Employment Law
Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Labor Law & NRLB, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourFinally, today is Election Day. And while the pundits tonight will all look forward to what the next four years might bring, it’s worth taking a quick peek back at Obama’s (first?) four years with a review of some of the posts from 2008-9. Before his term, there were predictions that he would be good… 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
New Laws Place Restrictions on Employers Seeking Passwords
Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social MediaEarlier this week, I had the opportunity to speak to the HR Compliance Conference in San Francisco about legal issues related to hiring. In some ways, everything old is new again on this topic. Issues like the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or the EEOC’s guidance on criminal background checks, have been around for years yet… Continue Reading
The September Employment Law Blog Carnival – The Bronx Bombers Edition
Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) ComplianceFor those who are uninitiated, each month an employment law blog hosts a “carnival” with links to various posts from other blogs with a theme typically attached. Candidly, it’s a relic from a bygone era before social media made sharing easy. But a carnival is a carnival (and my thanks to Eric Meyer of… Continue Reading
Hybrid Wage-and-Hour Class Actions Blessed by Second Circuit
Posted in Class Actions, Litigation, Wage & HourOk, bear with me for a second. If your employees want to bring a class action against your company claiming that they should’ve been paid overtime, there are typically two ways to do so: Bring a claim under state law, or bring a claim under federal law (Fair Labor Standards Act). There’s a big difference:… Continue Reading
Marijuana is Decriminalized, But Employers Can Still Ban Workers From Using It
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Legislative DevelopmentsLast week, the General Assembly approved of reduced penalties for people caught with relatively small amounts of marijuana in their possession. Notice the use in the title of the word “decriminalize”; that is a different term than “legalize”. This raises the obvious question: Can employers in Connecticut still regulate and ban employee usage of marijuana?… Continue Reading
General Assembly Increases Penalties for Violations of Personnel Files Act
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourWith all the talk about Paid Sick Leave dominating the headlines, it’s important to remember that other bills get passed too. Quietly, late last month, the Connecticut General Assembly beefed up the penalties to employers who do not follow the Personnel Files Act. The Act requires employers to give employees access to their personnel files… Continue Reading
Making a Difference in 2010
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceBefore we start looking forward to 2011, the Connecticut Law Tribune last week did a notable feature on various lawyers in Connecticut who "made a difference" in 2010. It’s worth a read (and not just because one of my law partners, Eliot Gersten, is featured.) There are several labor & employment law attorneys referenced (some… Continue Reading
Is The Incredible Hulk Covered Under the ADA?
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceDecember is a notoriously slow time when it comes to employment law news. Sure, there’s the NLRB’s announcement today that it is proposing a new rule that would require all employers to put up a posting about labor rights. There’s also word that the DOL is seeking comment on issues relating to reasonable break time for… Continue Reading
This Week in Social Media & Employment Law: Facebook Privacy Settings, Stored Communications Act, Social Media Policies
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social MediaAs social media continues to dominate the world — or at least conversations about employment law – there are a few notable posts that are worth delving into this week that explore the topic further. Forbes blogger Kashmir Hill (formerly of Above the Law) has a good piece on whether privacy settings matter on Facebook… Continue Reading
Family Violence Victims Officially Get New Workplace Protections on Friday
Posted in Laws and RegulationsEach year, the Connecticut General Assembly passes a number of laws. Rather than have them enacted immediately upon the governor’s signature, many of the bills become effective on October 1st of that respective year. I followed several workplace bills earlier this year but most never made it very far. One bill did and it gives new… Continue Reading
Top 25 Business Law Blog? Only If You Say So
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceAs I approach the three-year anniversary of this blog (stay tuned for more details), it’s certainly touching to receive accolades for this blog. Each year, LexisNexis “honors a select group of blogs that set the online standard for a given industry.” Amazingly, the Connecticut Employment Law Blog is a nominated candidates for the LexisNexis Top… Continue Reading
Law & Technology Symposium: A Recap and Announcing the Winners of the Supreme Tweet Contest
Posted in UncategorizedBy all accounts, Friday’s Law & Technology Symposium by the Connecticut Bar Foundation was a smashing success. Over 125 people attended with dozens more watching online. But beyond the numbers was the feedback from the attendees who appreciated the symposium for the content it delivered. It’ll soon be posted on the internet for download and we’ll… Continue Reading
Two Days to Law & Technology Symposium
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceAs I’ve mentioned before, my daily employment law posts will resume shortly but in the meantime, I’ve been chairing a major Law & Technology Symposium for the Connecticut Bar Foundation that is scheduled for this Friday at UConn Law School in Hartford, Connecticut. Full program details are available here. We still have room for people… Continue Reading
Can You Tweet Your Favorite U.S. Supreme Court Case? Help Publicize the Bar Foundation’s Technology Symposium!
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceThis post continues my public service outreach on a program developed by the Connecticut Bar Foundation. As I mentioned earlier this month, I am chairing what I expect will be a terrific educational program on April 9th at UConn Law School on how technology is changing the practice of law. Full details to this free… Continue Reading
Technology & The Law Symposium: How Technology is Changing the Practice of Law
Posted in UncategorizedFor the next few weeks, I will be posting a few items about a technology and the law symposium that I am chairing on April 9, 2010 for the Connecticut Bar Foundation. It is a free program that should be of interest to attorneys and non-attorneys alike. While it is not strictly "employment-law" related, I… Continue Reading
Want Some Great Reference Materials? ABA Labor & Employment Law Section Materials Now Online
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceLast year I attended and spoke at the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section. Over the last few years, the meeting has developed into one of the premier conferences to keep up to date on labor and employment law. This year’s meeting is now going on in Washington, D.C…. Continue Reading
Report Focuses On Companies That Fail to Pay Employee Taxes…and the Consequences
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and RegulationsOver the weekend, the Hartford Business Journal published a revealing look at Connecticut’s efforts to crackdown on companies that avoid paying employee taxes and workers’ compensation insurance. Indeed, according to the published report, the state’s efforts resulted in 220 stop-work orders at construction sites across Connecticut. But the report goes on to contend that "a… Continue Reading
Fox 61 Reporter Discrimination Case: FAQ, Analysis and What’s Next – Part I
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, LitigationThe filing of a discrimination complaint at the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities has certainly garnered a wide variety of responses from the local and national media. Indeed, yesterday, I was one of several invited guests to appear on WNPR’s "Where We Live". (You can download the podcast here.) But what’s been lacking… Continue Reading
Cloud Computing and Employment Law: The Uncharted Sky
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceTwo articles that I’ve come across over the last week have sparked my interest in the question of what impact cloud computing has on employment law. Realizing that there are several of you who may think "cloud computing" is simply using your laptop on your next airline flight, let’s start with a discussion of cloud… Continue Reading
(Nearly) Everything You Wanted to Know About Unemployment Compensation Laws in Connecticut
Posted in Laws and RegulationsLeave it to librarians to come up with a great new resource page for learning about Connecticut’s unemployment laws. I can hear the chuckles now. Librarians? Yes, librarians. As long-time readers of the blog know, one of the best kept secret resources for attorneys and businesses are the judicial branch law libraries. They continue to serve as a clearinghouse… Continue Reading
Protecting the Confidentiality of Social Security Numbers – New Requirements for Employers and Businesses
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Wage & HourUPDATED 12/8/08 to correct cap on penalty amount to $500,000 With all the focus this year on minimum wage, 15-year-olds in the workplace, and the like, other less-publicized bills in Connecticut still haven’t received much attention. In an earlier post, I noted that I would update readers on them when the dust settles. One of… 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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