Connecticut Employment Law Blog : Connecticut Employment Lawyer & Attorney : Daniel Schwartz : Stamford, Hartford New Haven, CT

As a fellow Connecticut blogger Ryan McKeen has said before, the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries' Newslog, is one of those hidden-in-plain-sight web gems that ought to be discovered more often.  In a recent post, they referenced new reports from the Office of Legislative Research which provides answers to some questions that might otherwise go unanswered.

Among the reports recently released is a fascinating look at the Connecticut insurance labor data. The report was compiled in response to a request to determine how many jobs the insurance industry provides to Connecticut while also determining what jobs may have been (1) outsourced to offshore vendors and (2) given to workers here on a visa.

Notably, Connecticut's place as the "insurance capital" of the world has eroded, as the employment numbers confirm:

It appears that the employment level peaked in 2002 at 67,828 positions and has eroded since then. Over the past year, from June 2008 to June 2009, the employment level has dropped from 66,100 to 64,200, a loss of 1,900 jobs, which represents 2.9% of the jobs. According to the Courant, the industry's employment peaked in July 1990 at 83,300 and ended 1999 at 71,500. Thus, from July 1990 to June 2009, the Connecticut insurance industry's employment level dropped from 83,300 to 64,200, a decrease of 19,100 jobs or about 23% of its workforce.

For employers that rely on the insurance industry for its livelihood, this drop represents a significant portion of business over the years.

There is a practical use to such numbers as well.  As companies defend themselves in discrimination claims arising from layoffs and reductions in force, numbers like this can provide a much needed context to the company's business losses.  This may provide further support to a company's legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for its decision.

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On Wednesday, May 27th, National Labor Relations Board Chairman Wilma Liebman and General Counsel Ronald Meisburg announced the appointment of Jonathan B. Kreisberg as the Regional Director of the NLRB’s Regional Office in Hartford, CT (Region 34).

Mr. Kreisberg succeeds former Director Peter B. Hoffman, who retired in March 2009.

Employers and attorneys in Connecticut will no doubt be familiar with Mr. Kreisberg. He has been a career NLRB employee, and has served as Regional Attorney in the Hartford Regional Office since 1989. He is also a former chair of the Connecticut Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Committee.

In a press release announcing the appointment, Chairman Liebman and General Counsel Meisburg stated:

Jonathan Kreisberg brings a wealth of experience and abilities to his new position. During his many years of service with the Agency, Jonathan’s excellent legal and organizational skills have resulted in the amicable resolution of many labor disputes and meaningful remedies for employees, unions and employers under the NLRA. We are confident that his considerable experience with the Agency and his active involvement with the labor-management community in Connecticut will enable him to continue the tradition of excellence in the Hartford Regional Office.

A native of Bayside, Queens, New York, Mr. Kreisberg earned his B.S. degree in 1974 from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and his J.D. degree in 1977 from American University’s Washington College of Law.

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Remember last year's mess on the roads? If you recall, lots of Hartford-area employers sent their employees home early during a snow storm -- creating gridlock and lots and lots of headaches. As a result, Gov. Rell set up a task force to coordinate with the largest area employees on their dismissal patterns. 

Tomorrow will be the first big test of that, with the forecast calling for heavy snow during the afternoon and evening commute.  

But suppose you're not one of those employers affected by the task force, what are some issues to think about (which follows up a post I did last year on the subject as well).  If you don't already have an inclement weather policy (or even if you do), you can ask yourself:

• Will employees be paid for the time when the business is closed?
• Will employees be paid if they don’t report to work due to inclement weather when the business is open?
• Can an employer discipline or discharge and employee for failing to report to work due to weather conditions when the business is open?

Quite simply, absent a declaration of a state of emergency, private employers are free to determine their own policies for handling snow storms (or another natural events.) 

Some employers may ask -- what should I do for our company? The answer is, of course, it depends. Some employers who need to maintain operations 24/7 (a hospital, hotel, etc) may want to designate certain employees as "essential". Others may decide that they can deal with telecommuting employees for a half-day.

But establishing a policy at the outset so employees know what to expect is essential to avoiding problems later on. Ultimately, setting reasonable expectations (asking employees to call in if late, and having them make up for lost time) may be all that is needed for some.

 

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, like most federal agencies, is typically thought of as an enforcement agency, and nothing more. However, the EEOC also has a wide-ranging training program that it rolls out to various cities across the country "to help employers understand, prevent and correct discrimination in the workplace."

These seminars, which fall within the aptly-named EEOC Training Institute, are typically one- or two-day affairs and involve both local practitioners and national reprsesentatives.  A full training schedule nationwide is available here.

The EEOC's Hartford program is now set for July 7, 2008 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.  Registration is available online.  The keynote speaker will be EEOC Commissioner Christine Griffin.

Among the topics to be covered:

• Practical Tips on Disability Questions;
• Caregiver Guidance;
• Unfair Practices Related to Immigration and Citizenship;
• Supreme Court and State Court Update;
• Best Practices in Conducting Internal Investigations & Tips on Responding to the EEOC;
• and a Sexual Harassment Refresher in the form of a interactive, team based game.

One of my colleagues, Joshua Hawks-Ladds, will be among the presenters.  Overall, the agenda of the program looks worthwhile.  And for those on the fence, it never hurts to hear from the people actually enforcing federal employment laws. 

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If you look carefully, you might have noticed something new in the title of the blog.  It now says the blog is written by Daniel Schwartz of "Pullman & Comley, LLC". 

You might be asking: Who? And why are you telling me this? And most importantly, where are the recent developments in Connecticut employment law that we've grown accustomed to?

All those questions will be answered in due course, and I promise the updates will return promptly.  But for one day, I'll be blogging about my own experiences with employment law  -- and it's a new development. It's admittedly a bit less "formal" of a post than others so make some popcorn and pull up a seat for a quick story.

The story begins like this: Once upon a time there was this attorney....

And the story ends like this:....and he started a new job. The end.

In the middle, I announce that, effective February 7, 2008, I have relocated my practice to Pullman & Comley LLC in their Hartford, Connecticut office.  In that role, I will continue to service clients in the labor & employment field as well as additional types of commercial and trade secrets litigation.

Of course the story is more complicated than that.  Leaving a firm -- or any job for that matter -- is always bittersweet.  Saying goodbye to good people is tough.  And no matter how smooth you try to make the transition, someone somewhere will always feel like one more thing needed to be done before you leave.  And then there is always that one person who seems to hint telepathically "Can I go too?" (to which the answer is usually "you'll be fine").

But tinged with that emotion is always the excitement of something new.  New office, new phone numbers, new people, new equipment, new opportunities. 

It reminds me of that feeling I had when I got behind the wheel of my first car.  The road suddenly seemed wide and possibilities endless.  Sure the road may actually be filled with some potholes along the way, but those obstacles seemed insignificant at least for a while.  And, having the classic U2 song, "Where the Streets Have No Name" playing in the background certainly doesn't hurt either.

For me, my practice has been -- and continues to be -- a Connecticut-focused one.  In that way, Pullman & Comley LLC is an terrific fit for clients and contacts.   As a full-service firm, It has an established reputation (nearly 90 years) of practicing law at the highest levels while providing strong client service at reasonable rates for clients big and small.  

Even more important to me, however, is the fact that the Hartford office is close to my family and other nearby connections -- no small feat in a state where traffic jams are among the worst in the country.

Very soon, I'll be posting more about the new job in the About Me section, the Services section and other portions of the blog. 

However, for the next few days, the postings may be a bit sparse. Between a new job, and a quick trip out to LA to receive an award by the American Bar Association for being Finalist, Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, there is simply not enough time to do everything.  But the blog will return in full force early next week.

So check back in later on and I promise to exchange some new stories about the labor & employment law developments in Connecticut.  With the blog logging its 20,000th reader today after just a few short months out there (and growing each day), I'm grateful for your support and readership.

And if you too want to remember the days of a new car -- put the video for the U2 song on below.

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