SCOTUS Concludes Agency Fees Violate Workers’ First Amendment Rights With its recent decision in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, a majority of Supreme Court Justices ruled that “agency fee” laws in 22 states plus Washington, D.C. violate the First Amendment rights of public sector employees. Public sector unions may no longer require employees who choose not to join the union to pay “agency fees” to cover costs of negotiating contracts, processing grievances, and more. The [...]

Last January, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that in 2016, there were over 84,000 workplace discrimination charges filed against employers across the nation. According to the data, 48.8% of all charges filed were for retaliation, followed by race discrimination (33.9%) and disability discrimination (31.9%). The EEOC subsequently obtained $398 million for these alleged victims through litigation and voluntary resolutions. That’s a lot of money - enough to alarm any business owner. But [...]

Most of us are used to taking time off for lunch or at least a rest break during the workday. This “off time” allows us to catch our breath, get something to eat, and re-energize for the rest of the workday. But did you know that mandatory meal or rest breaks vary from state to state? Federal Law and Breaks Many employees (and employers as well) would be surprised to know that under federal law, [...]

You recently disclosed a disability to your employer, one that requires you to take a slightly longer lunch break. Next thing you know, your position was eliminated, supposedly due to ‘restructuring’, but you see your company advertising the exact same job the next day. Chances are that you’ve been the target of workplace discrimination, which is illegal. Workplace discrimination takes many forms. What they all have in common is that people who belong to a [...]

Connecticut businesses and employers can face serious legal issues when a current or former employee files a retaliation claim against them. Legally defined, workplace retaliation is the act of taking adverse action against an employee because she complained about harassment or discrimination or reported alleged company wrongdoing to the proper authorities (an act known as whistleblowing). Examples of retaliation include: Firing the employee Demotion or denial of a promotion Reduction in pay and/or loss of [...]

To err is human, but when the mistakes involve your company payroll, forgiveness might not be obtained so easily. Last November, the City of Boston paid close to a million dollars in penalties after an IRS audit uncovered major payroll problems such as overtaxing and failure to deduct Medicare withholding taxes as well as “deferred compensation” for employees who did not qualify for a pension plan. The case made headlines across the nation and spotlighted [...]