Workplace Fairness bills and Connecticut jobs

Posted on April 3, 2018

The state has voted on a new round of legislation that will affect Connecticut jobs.

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee voted to adopt a series of reforms the Governor proposed to improve fairness for employees in the workplace, including the expansion of the state’s first-in-the-nation paid sick leave law, an update to existing anti-harassment requirements to better address today’s challenges, and the advancement of measures that will help ensure fairness and equal pay for equal work regardless of race or gender.

“Across our nation, people are having conversations on inequity in the workplace. It is incumbent upon us to make commonsense changes that advance fairness and equality for all workers,” Governor Malloy said. “Today, too many people are falling behind financially, even as they work harder and harder. The gap between the rich and the working poor continues to grow. Too many historically marginalized groups are still subject to harassment, oppression, and unequal treatment in the workplace. I want to thank the members of the Labor Committee for voting today in favor of these proposals that advance our goals of correcting these inequities, and I urge the full legislature to act on these bills so that I can sign them into law.”

“I applaud the Labor Committee for moving these initiatives out for a full vote. They speak to our values as Connecticut residents and the high priority we put on fairness, justice, and dignity in our workplaces, our communities, and in our lives,” Lt. Governor Wyman said. “For too long, women’s economic security – particularly women of color – has been compromised by discrimination. We must continue our efforts to eradicate wage inequality and promote efforts to protect all residents who are working hard to provide for themselves and their families.”

The bills, which the Governor submitted to the legislature earlier this year, includes:

• House Bill 5044, An Act Concerning Fair Treatment of Sick Workers: In 2011, under Governor Malloy’s leadership, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to require private sector employers provide paid sick leave to their employees.