The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division (WHD) has issued four new opinion letters under the Fair Labor Standards Act. These letters give employers clear guidance on how WHD will handle common compliance questions during investigations and audits. While opinion letters do not create new laws, they often indicate how the agency…

For many years, I’ve made predictions on what I think may happen for the upcoming year.

Some years, it was pretty predictable.
But, to state the obvious, we’re living through some unpredictable times. Changes at the federal level have come mainly through executive orders and changes in enforcement priorities. It’s been many, many years, since…

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently clarified the transportation worker exemption under § 1 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The court addressed whether contracts signed by individual delivery drivers, even when they work through their own corporations, count as “contracts of employment” that are exempt from mandatory arbitration. In this instance, the court…

As we move past the post-holiday slowdown, employers in Connecticut should be aware of some important changes coming in 2026. You can find a complete list of all bills effective January 1, 2026 here. Here are the key points you need to know:

Minimum Wage Increase

It’s easy to forget that Connecticut’s minimum wage…

A new decision from the state Appellate Court, Paniccia v. Success Village Apartments, Inc., delivers some clarity for employers facing wage claims under Connecticut General Statutes § 31-72. The bottom line? When employees win wage cases, the “costs” they can recover are limited to statutory taxable costs—not every litigation expense they incurred.

The Background:

…

Sometimes the dog days of summer produce more than just wilted flowers and overpriced iced coffee. Here are five developments worth watching as we head into fall.

I’ve been sitting on my hands for weeks, wanting to write about something — anything — happening in employment law. The truth is, there just hasn’t been one…

In a decision that will be officially released tomorrow, the Connecticut Appellate Court waded back in the tip credit waters, providing clarity for hospitality employers regarding some pre-2022 tip credit recordkeeping requirements. While this ruling is a victory for a few restaurant employers in the short run, legislative changes in 2022 make the victory essentially…

There’s a week to go in Connecticut’s General Assembly session and, at least for now (and this could change quickly), employers are holding their breath on several measures that have been floating around and have passed one of the chambers.

But as of last night, there do not appear to be any significant bills targeting…

It’s the end of the year.

Which means, for the foreseeable future, employers need to be mindful of the automatic increase to the state’s minimum wage which goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

Currently, the rate is $15.69. However, it goes up to $16.35 on Wednesday.

Why?

Connecticut’s minimum wage law, which connects the…