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Will General Assembly Consider Repeal of Workplace Smokers’ Rights Law?
Daniel SchwartzLet’s say you’re an employer in Connecticut. And you want to keep your health insurance costs down and promote a “healthy workplace”. After all, its a new year and a new year is built...
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Super Bowl Office Pools in Connecticut – What Box Are You In?
Daniel SchwartzIt doesn’t get much better than this for Connecticut residents. Giants vs. Patriots for the Super Bowl. Go Giants! In a state where the loyalties are divided, a Super Bowl rematch from...
View ArticleEmployee’s Speech Against Employer May Be Protected by First Amendment
Daniel SchwartzEver since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Garcetti v. Ceballos that an employee’s speech pursuant to the employee’s official job duties was not protected by the First Amendment,...
View ArticleA Day of Social Media for Employers — A Workshop Through WESFACCA
Daniel Schwartz850 million people on Facebook can’t be wrong, can they? A large group of in-house counsel at major Connecticut and New York companies don’t think so. They understand that social media...
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Medical Marijuana Bill Includes Restrictions For Employers
Daniel SchwartzThe General Assembly over the weekend passed a comprehensive bill that permits individuals to use marijuana for palliative purposes. The bill is expected to be signed by the Governor...
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Summer Reading: Is the “Mommy Porn” in “Fifty Shades of Grey” Workplace Safe?
Daniel SchwartzIs someone bringing “Mommy Porn” (The New York Times words, not mine) into the workplace? Summer Reading? Yes, THAT book, 50 Shades of Grey, has been making the rounds. And chances are,...
View ArticleFederal Court Suggests Connecticut Constitution Protects Private Employee Speech
Daniel SchwartzEarlier this summer, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued two decisions that held that the free speech protections in Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 31-51q were limited by the U.S. Supreme...
View ArticleTragedy
Daniel SchwartzI had another post scheduled to go up this morning, but the news of the Newtown elementary school shooting makes it irrelevant. As of midday Friday, the reported death toll was 27,...
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Refusing to Hire People Who Smoke: The Connecticut Ban
Daniel SchwartzWhen I was away last week, one of the headlines from my alma mater caught my attention. The University of Pennsylvania Health System announced that effective July 1st, they will refuse...
View ArticleEmployees Who Smoke (Part II) – The Exception for Health Insurance Plans
Daniel SchwartzSo yesterday, I made a convincing case that employees who smoke outside the workplace can’t be treated differently than your non-smokers. But what about your health insurance plans?...
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WESFACCA’s “A Day of Privacy”: Social Media & The Workplace
Daniel SchwartzOn Thursday, April 18th, the Westchester/Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (known as “WESFACCA”) holds an event that you’re not going to want to miss....
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Workplace Issues Now Grow on “Vines”; Why Employers Need a Policy More Than Ever
Daniel SchwartzAs I said in an earlier post, I’ll be speaking about Social Media and the Workplace, as part of WESFACCA’s “Day of Privacy” presentation later this week. One of items I hope to touch...
View ArticleThe Underside of Vine: Another Headache for Employers
Daniel SchwartzAs I highlighted last month, Vine – a new video-sharing app — is quickly infiltrating the workplace. Since my original post, I’ve been keeping tabs on what people are doing on it. And...
View ArticleQuick Hits: From I-9s to Workplace Surveillance
Daniel SchwartzThe Connecticut Law Tribune’s quarterly supplement on Labor & Employment Law was published this week and as usual, it is chock full of articles of relevance to attorneys and...
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The Next Frontier for NLRB: Videos & Photos in the Workplace?
Daniel SchwartzAt the Connecticut Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, NLRB Boston Regional Director Jonathan Kreisberg gave a thorough update on the agenda of the federal agency. While most of the...
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The Nasty Side of Social Media…And What Employers Can Learn From It
Daniel SchwartzIt spread, as these things tend to do today, like a virus around 10 p.m. last night. “…And Justice for All?” “None [sic] cares about you. Go kill yourself. Maybe you’ll succeed this...
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Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome Away; NLRB Agrees
Daniel SchwartzKodachrome You give us those nice bright colors You give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, oh yeah! I got a Nikon camera I love to take a photograph...
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Ten of the Best Workplace Songs for Labor Day
It’s Friday before Labor Day. Is anyone there? If you are, you are probably watching every phone call and e-mail with an eye towards the clock too. The unofficial end of summer is upon us (time to...
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Court: Connecticut Constitution Provides Greater Free Speech Rights For...
Does the Connecticut Constitution provide an independent and greater right of free speech for public (and even private) employees than the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitition? That was a question...
View ArticleWhat Makes a Workplace a Great Place to Work?
The Hartford Courant and Fox CT last week released their list of “Top Workplaces” in the Greater Hartford area. In a column accompanying it, columnist Dan Haar suggests the ingredients that go into a...
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