Share
On January 7, 2015, the 2015 session of the Connecticut General Assembly began. The session is scheduled to adjourn on June 3, 2015. A plethora of proposed bills affecting Connecticut employers and employees will be unleashed during the session, most of which will never see the light of day. For example, one does not have to go out on a limb to predict that a proposed bill that would make Connecticut a “right to work” state is unlikely to receive much serious consideration.
The Labor and Public Employees Committee will be where the “real” significant action will initially occur. Hearings on those bills deemed somewhat worthy by the Committee will likely take place in February and early March. The deadline for the Committee to approve and “forward” bills out of Committee is March 17, 2015. Bills affecting labor and employment issues may also emerge from other committees (such as the Judiciary Committee).
While it is difficult to forecast with scientific certainty as to what the General Assembly may consider, it appears that the issue of mandating time-off or “holiday pay” for certain “family holidays” will come up. Bills from prior sessions that may also re-emerge include the broadening of free speech protections for employees and limiting the ability of employers to monitor their employees’ use of “personal on-line accounts” (e.g., social media, e-mail). Finally, there may be further consideration of 1) unemployment compensation eligibility and benefits adjustments, 2) the installation of firm timelines for the issuance of awards by the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration and the State Board of Labor Relations, including interest arbitration awards under the Municipal Employee Relations Act, 3) retirement plans and pension benefits reforms, 4) revisions to the “prevailing wage” threshold for public construction projects, and 5) further adjustments in the investigatory and hearing procedures for the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
Working Together will follow the action at the General Assembly and report on any significant developments as they may occur. Of course, there is always the potential for last minute surprises, including bill provisions emerging with little or no debate. Stay tuned.
This blog/web site presents general information only. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice, and you should not consider or rely on it as such. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. This website is not an offer to represent you. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any information at this website. Neither our presentation of such information nor your receipt of it creates nor will create an attorney-client relationship with any reader of this blog. Any links from another site to the blog are beyond the control of Pullman & Comley, LLC and do not convey their approval, support or any relationship to any site or organization. Any description of a result obtained for a client in the past is not intended to be, and is not, a guarantee or promise the firm can or will achieve a similar outcome.
About Our Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law Blog
Alerts, commentary, and insights from the attorneys of Pullman & Comley’s Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits practice on such workplace topics as labor and employment law, counseling and training, litigation, union issues, as well as employee benefits and ERISA matters.