American Eagle Financial Credit Union

Chatfield Ace Hardware (Quarry Walk)

Certified Financial Services

Destination Psychiatry

Northeast Scientific, Inc.

The Hive Builders

The Jameson Pub

LEAD

Mikush Resale Corp. Dba Once Upon a Child

*Joined 4/9/24 to 5/13/24

To advertise your business or organization in the June 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.

• Wednesday, May 15 @ 1:30 p.m. - Destination Psychiatry - 678 Chase Parkway Waterbury
• 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!

Over 1,000 members of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and its employees, including families living in the household, will be able 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.

“Any chamber member interested in taking a course or pursuing a degree through Post University can receive a tuition reduction through this partnership. This is an opportunity for educating the workforce of the future,” said Waterbury Regional Chamber President & CEO Lynn Ward.

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.

 “This tuition reduction program came about through the leadership at the Chamber who were looking to advance education opportunities for members and employees,” said Christopher Gersitz, Post University’s vice president of strategic partnerships.  

 “We already have partnerships with organizations in the Waterbury community, including Webster Bank, the YMCA and the Waterbury Police Department. With our deep roots as a business school, the opportunity to expand access to the business community, through the Chamber is thrilling. We are so pleased to be able to provide a reason for the Chamber membership and its employees to join the Post University learning community,” Gersitz said. 

To learn more about Post University or this Chamber partnership, please visit partners.

Do you love Italy? Then you'll love Croatia! Our trip to Croatia in October will feature an excursion to Venice!

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

This HR Corner is brought to you by Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP. Written by Attorneys Giovanna Weller and Nick Zaino.

There have been major employment law developments over the past few weeks. On April 17, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that an adverse employment action does not have to be “significant” to constitute discrimination under Title VII. Next, on April 23, the federal Department of Labor published a final rule increasing the salary level required for an employee to be considered exempt from overtime. And, on the same day the federal DOL unveiled its overtime rule, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) completed the trifecta by publishing a final rule that invalidates virtually all non-compete agreements.

Lower Bar for Discrimination Claims

In Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine the level of harm a plaintiff must show to have suffered an “adverse employment action” under Title VII. It held that a plaintiff “need show only some injury” regarding the terms and conditions of employment.

The plaintiff in Muldrow was a female sergeant working for the St. Louis Police Department in the specialized Intelligence Division. After working in this position for approximately nine years, she was replaced by a male officer and transferred against her wishes to another position. Her rank and pay remained the same, but her responsibilities, perks, and schedule did not. The plaintiff claimed the job transfer constituted gender discrimination. Writing for the majority, Justice Kagan stated that, “[t]he transfer must have left [a plaintiff] worse off, but need not have left [them] significantly so.” Applying this standard, the Supreme Court held that the plaintiff’s allegations of lower prestige, changes in her work schedule, and loss of a take-home vehicle, if proven, would meet the standard, even if her rank and pay remained the same.

This decision is important in that it lowers the level of harm that employees must show to bring a Title VII claim. Employers should be aware of this increased risk and ensure that all job actions taken, no matter how minor, are not discriminatory. 

FTC’s Rule Banning Non-Compete Agreements

The FTC’s final rule provides that it is a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act for employers to enter into non-compete clauses with workers on or after the rule’s effective date, which will be 120 days after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.

With respect to non-compete clauses in existence before the final rule’s effective date, the FTC adopts a different approach for senior executives. Existing non-compete clauses with “senior executives” can remain in effect. A “senior executive” refers to workers earning more than $151,164 and who are in a “policy-making position” as defined in the final rule. Existing non-compete clauses for workers who are not senior executives are no longer enforceable after the effective date. In addition, employers must provide those workers with non-competes clauses notice that they are no longer enforceable.

Employers should note that the final rule extends to all “workers”, which the FTC defines broadly to include not only employees but also independent contractors, interns, volunteers, and apprentices, and other workers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already filed a lawsuit in Texas challenging the legality of the rule.   

While the rule’s fate remains uncertain, employers are well advised to determine: (a) what existing non-competes may be invalidated; (b) how current and former employees will be notified; (c) whether to enter into non-compete agreements for senior executives before the rule’s effective date; and (d) what other steps they can take to protect their business interests, such as implementing non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements, and taking additional security measures to prevent the improper disclosure or use of proprietary trade secret and business information.

The Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule

The new overtime rule increases the salary threshold for certain overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). Currently, the salary threshold for executive, administrative, and professional employees is $684 per week, which annualizes to $35,568 per year. The threshold for highly compensated employees is currently $107,432 per year. Under the new rule, these salary thresholds will increase as follows:

• effective July 1, 2024, the salary threshold for bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees will increase to $844 per week ($43,888 per year); the annual compensation threshold for highly compensated employees will increase to $132,964 per year.
• effective January 1, 2025, the salary threshold for bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees will increase to $1,128 per week ($58,656 per year); the annual compensation threshold for highly compensated employees will increase to $151,164 per year.
• effective July 1, 2027, and every three years thereafter, the salary thresholds will automatically update, using the methodology in effect at the time of each update.

Employers should identify all impacted employees and determine whether (a) to preserve the employee’s exempt status by raising their weekly salary or (b) reclassify the employee’s status to non-exempt and pay overtime when the employee works 40 hours or more. 

Giovanna Weller is Co-Leader of Carmody's litigation practice and leads the firm's Employment Litigation practice. Nick Zaino is a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment 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.

Post University has introduced a new Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics, offering students the unique opportunity to pursue an advanced degree that will provide the skills and insights needed to identify, analyze, evaluate, manage, and define business challenges that require effective communication of intelligent data-driven solutions. 

The Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics is the university’s latest flexible, industry-relevant program offered for students looking to advance in their careers.

Through coursework, master’s students learn to use business intelligence to make strategic decisions, identify opportunities to improve processes, improve operations, and more. The program teaches students to quantify business operations and use data to understand and improve them. Graduates will leave prepared for diverse career paths, including roles as business leaders, data scientists, marketing analysts, supply chain analysts, business intelligence engineers, researchers, and more. Taught by industry-experienced professionals, courses are interactive and designed to enhance students’ practical application of analytics.

“Offering an advanced degree that addressed problem solving and strategic decision-making was a natural progression for our business programs,” said Post University’s The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business Interim Dean Alisa L. Hunt, Ph.D. “Post is committed to providing education opportunities that meet the demands of our evolving business landscape, and this new master’s program positions our students as future-ready professionals who are equipped to navigate and excel in today’s modern, data-driven business world.”

To learn more about the new Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics program at Post, please visit www.post.edu/academics/online-graduate-degrees/master-of-science-in-business-intelligence-and-analytics/

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. 

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

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.