Welcome to Our Newest Members | |
A warm welcome to our newest members!* We encourage you to connect with them soon and see where your next partnership can be! | |
To advertise your business or organization in the July member marketplace and get premier placement for your company, contact David Huck at dhuck@waterburychamber.com or call 203-757-0701. Space is limited! $100 per ad. | |
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- Wednesday, June 12 @ 4 p.m. - Brass City Residential Care Home - 74 Buckingham Street - Waterbury
- Friday, June 14 @ 11:00 a.m. - Dr. Jack Zazzaro, D.M.D 20th Anniversary Celebration - 316 Main Street South - Southbury
- Tuesday, June 18 @ 11 a.m. - Zackin Zimyeski Sullivan CPA LLC (new location) - 333 Church Street, Floor 3 - Naugatuck
- Friday, June 21 @ 10 a.m. - The Speech Pathology Group & Rehab Services of CT (expanded location) - 519 Heritage Road, Suite 1E - Southbury
- Friday, June 28 @ 11 a.m. - Castillo & Sons, Cuisine, LLC Event Space & Catering - 1221 New Haven Road, Suite 4 - Naugatuck
Come out and help your fellow Chamber members come celebrate their special occasion!
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Upcoming Sponsorship Opportunities | |
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On Saturday, August 3, 2024, the 5th annual Brass City Jazz Fest will be held at Library Park downtown Waterbury. The Jazz Fest will be free for concert goers, offering members of the greater Waterbury community and contemporary & smooth jazz fans from across the Northeast a chance to listen and experience exquisite jazz.
Main Street Waterbury, in conjunction with ACT Jams Productions and the City of Waterbury, are working diligently to schedule a stellar line up of jazz musicians including:
- Billboard # 1 and Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year 2023: Vincent Ingal - a native of the Waterbury area
- Legendary producer, songwriter and #1 hitmaker Barry Eastmond
- Billboard #1 and the Best Contemporary Jazz Artist Award Winner and 2023 NAACP Image Award Nominee Ragan Whiteside
- Billboard #1 Chart Topping Artist JJ Sansaverino
Last year’s Brass City Jazz Fest was a huge success for the greater Waterbury area. Fans came to the Brass City from Virginia, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Boston, Springfield, New Jersey, New York City, and from all throughout the state of Connecticut.
Help make this year's Brass City Jazz Fest another success with a corporate sponsorship!
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Post University Offering Tuition Reduction for Chamber Employees & Families | |
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Over 1,000 members of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and its employees, including families living in the household, are now eligible to receive a tuition reduction as a result of a new partnership established with Post University. This partnership also extends to the three affiliate Chambers in Naugatuck, Southbury, and Watertown Oakville.
Through the partnership, the employees of businesses who belong to the Chamber, their spouses and their family living in the household are eligible for a 20 percent tuition reduction but they must complete the application process. The tuition reduction is for online undergraduate and graduate programs, including high school family members looking to complete college coursework for general education requirements as well as nurses looking for advanced degrees
To learn more about Post University or this Chamber partnership, please visit partners.
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Travel to Croatia with the Chamber in 2024 | |
Do you love Italy? Then you'll love Croatia! Our trip to Croatia in October will feature an excursion to Venice! June 13 booking deadline. Limited spaces remain! | |
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Looking for a unique opportunity to network beyond the golf course? Join more than 60 travelers from the region and explore the beauty of Croatia and the Dalmatian coast during the Waterbury Regional Chamber's next trip abroad, taking place October 13 to October 21, 2024.
Optional Dubrovnik extension that runs until October 24. Price includes airfare from New York, hotels for 8 nights, select meals, day trips, and more.
For more information, visit www.waterburychamber.com/travel
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HR Corner: Connecticut Expands Paid Sick Leave Mandate to Cover Nearly All Employers and Employees | |
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On May 28, 2024, Governor Lamont signed Public Act 24-8, which will significantly expand Connecticut’s paid sick leave law.
The current law applies to employers with at least 50 employees (excluding manufacturers), and requires that they provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to employees who are considered “service workers.”
Public Act 24-8 will gradually expand the law’s coverage to nearly every employer, regardless of size and industry, and nearly employee, except for seasonal employees (defined as an employee who works 120 days or less in any year). The law will extend coverage to employers with at least 25 employees on January 1, 2025; then to employers with at least 11 employees on January 1, 2026; and finally, to all employers on January 1, 2027.
The new law also increases the rate at which covered employees accrue paid sick leave benefits, expands the reasons for which paid sick leave may be used, and expands the list of family members for whom a covered employee may take paid sick leave.
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Reasons for Leave and Covered Family Members
Under the current law, paid sick leave may be used by covered employees for their own or their spouse’s or child’s illness, injury,
health condition or medical care.
The new law permits the use of paid sick leave for “family members,” applying the same definition of “family member” as Connecticut’s Family and Medical Leave Act. “Family members” include spouses, siblings, children, grandparents, grandchildren, and parents, as well as individuals who are “related to the employee by blood or affinity whose close association the employee shows to be equivalent of those family relationships.”
Employees will be permitted to take leave for the following reasons:
- An employee’s or employee’s family member’s: (1) illness, injury, or health condition; (2) medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee or employee’s family member; and (3) preventive medical care for mental or physical health.
- One mental health wellness day per year.
- Closures of the employee’s workplace or family member’s school or place of care by order of a public official due to a public health emergency.
- In certain cases where an employee or employee’s family member has been exposed to a communicable illness.
- For certain reasons where an employee or employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault.
Leave Accrual and Carryover
The rate at which covered employees accrue leave will increase from one hour for every 40 hours worked to one hour for every 30 hours worked. Employees who accrue paid sick leave must be permitted to carryover up to 40 hours of unpaid sick leave from one year to the next.
In lieu of accrual, employers are permitted to “frontload” paid sick leave to covered employees. In such cases, employers are not required to allow carryover of unused time.
For newly covered employers and employees, leave will begin to accrue (or be frontloaded) on January 1 of the year they become covered (i.e., 2025 for employers with at least 25 employees, 2026 for employers with at least 11 employes, and 2027 for employers with at least one employee).
Leave Availability
Under the current law, a covered employee must work 680 hours before they are eligible to use paid sick leave and work an average of at least 10 hours per week in the most recently completed calendar quarter. The new law will allow employees to use paid sick leave beginning on the 120th calendar day of their employment.
Documentation
Under the current law, employers could request documentation confirming that paid sick leave is being taken for a permitted purpose when utilized in three consecutive days. The new law will prohibit employers from requiring an employee to provide any documentation confirming that paid sick leave is being taken for a permitted purpose.
Takeaways
There are a number of other provisions of the new law, including expanded employee protections and significant changes to employer and employee notice requirements.
It is critical for employers to review their policies and handbooks for compliance and ensure that they are updated as needed. Even employers that already offer 40 hours of paid time off to their employees or those whose policies comply with the current law must review and update their policies to ensure compliance with the many changes under the new law.
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Vincent Farisello is Co-Chair of the Labor & Employment group and Maria Laurato is an associate in Carmody's Litigation practice group.
This information is for educational purposes only to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does not establish any attorney-client relationship.
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Advertising Opportunity: 2024-2025 Annual Chamber Business Directory
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Hiring & Training Programs Available | |
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The Northwest Construction Careers Initiative
NCCI — The Northwest Construction Careers Initiative — offers Northwest Connecticut residents the opportunity to pursue a career in the construction and building trades. Job training and employment possibilities include:
- OSHA 10, OSHA 30, and Hazwoper certifications
- CORE Curriculum, which includes HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical
Orientation sessions are held each Thursday at 249 Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury, CT beginning at 10AM. You do not need to RSVP to attend, but you will need to be on time to participate.
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Healthcare training program
The NRWIB is currently offering training opportunities in the following fields:
- Patient Care Technician
- Central Sterile Processing
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Certified Nurse’s Aide
- Community Health Worker
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CT WHISP Program
Connecticut Workforce & High-Tech Industry Skills Partnership (CTWhisp) Program offers a variety of IT career training at schools such as Naugatuck Valley Community College and Patrick’s Academy.
Naugatuck Valley Community College in partnership with the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board is offering grant-funded, short-term (15 weeks), IT course clusters aligned with industry certifications and supportive services. Clusters include Networking, Programming, Systems, Software and Project Management. Each IT cluster has been mapped to Microsoft and/or CompTIA certifications. The course clusters are offered free of charge to eligible CTWHISP participants. Additional services include enrollment assistance, academic advising, and employment services. In addition to gaining skills and stackable credentials, participants at NVCC will earn between 9-12 college credits that may be used towards a degree.
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