The Naugatuck Chamber has named Jim Beland as the organization’s Membership Director.

As Membership Director, Beland will be responsible for growing and maintaining a robust, active, and involved membership for the Chamber—which is the largest Chamber in New Haven County.

Beland was most recently the Chief Operating Officer for Habitat for Humanity North Central Connecticut. Beland also worked at Thrivent Financial, the nation's largest fraternal benefit organization in the position of Manager of Community Engagement and President of their Northeast Member Network. 

Beland has a Corporate Communications degree from Southern Connecticut State University, a Masters of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governor’s University, and a Professional Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University.

Jim can be reached at 203-757-0701, ext. 305 or by email at jbeland@waterburychamber.com

• Lowest score for a foursome (-17): Antonio Lopez, Mike Erickson, Brendan McCormack, and Mack O'Shea
• Closest to the Pin #15: 1. Brendan McCormack (1'0"); 2. Louie Mirabelle (7'1")
• Longest Drive Men #1: Tom Murphy
• Longest Drive Women #1: Dawn Derwin

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.

This HR Corner is brought to you by Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP. Written by Attorney Nick Zaino and Luc Shay*

On June 28^th, 2024, the United States Supreme Court overturned Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, a foundational case in federal agency law. In the consolidated cases of Loper Bright Enters. V. Raimondo, No. 22-451, and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce, No. 22-1219 (June 28, 2024), the Supreme Court redefined the process by which courts will review certain federal agency actions.

Under Chevron, courts had previously granted a high degree of deference to federal agencies when agencies interpreted and applied statutory law. If a federal statute was silent or ambiguous on a matter, courts allowed agencies to regulate the matter so long as the agencies’ actions were “reasonable.” Under the new standard in Loper, federal agencies will no longer be accorded the great deference afforded to them by Chevron. Agencies must now either regulate in accordance with the plain language of the statute that enables them or regulate in line with the congressional intent behind such statutes. Going forward, courts will no longer defer to an agency’s own interpretation of the statute. Courts will employ the traditional tools of statutory interpretation to ensure an agency is acting within the scope of power granted to it by Congress.

As it pertains to employment law, the immediate effects of the Loper decision are still percolating. The potential future consequences stem from the sheer quantity and extent of federal agency regulation which occurs in employment law. Regulations issued by agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board may be impacted. Nevertheless, the Court noted in its decision that all prior decisions that relied on Chevron are not overturned. It is only future challenges to agency regulations that have the potential to upset the status quo. Going forward, courts will decide whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority and “may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous.”

While some commentators applaud the Supreme Court’s efforts to reign in the power of administrative agencies, other commentators are concerned with the possibility of different jurisdictions ruling differently on the same agency actions. When the interpretation of a statute is left to a federal agency, a consistent rule is created for employers across state lines. When individual courts review challenges to an agency rule, there is a possibility that one jurisdiction will invalidate the agency’s interpretation while a different jurisdiction upholds the same interpretation. This predicament may create uncertainty or conflict for interstate employers.

Going forward, it will be important for employers to stay current with challenges to federal agency rules. Courts will likely see an immediate influx of lawsuits based on the Loper decision in the coming months. Notable challenges already underway are attacks on a recently adopted FTC rule, which was set to ban most types of noncompete agreements beginning September, 2024, and various attacks on the Department of Labor’s guidance defining the term “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

*Nick Zaino is a partner at Carmody Torrance Sandak and Hennessey LLP and co-leader of the firm’s Business Services Group. Luc Shay is a summer associate at Carmody and rising third-year law student at Quinnipiac Law School. Nick can be reached at 203-578-4270 and by email at nzaino@carmodylaw.com

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.