Family-owned catering business specializing in Latin, West Indian Caribbean, Southern Soul Food, American, Asian, and Italian cuisines.

For over a decade, Castillo & Sons Cuisine LLC has been synonymous with culinary excellence, captivating guests at countless celebrations and gatherings. With Chef Cris Castillo leading the way, specializing in a diverse array of cuisines including Latin, West Indian Caribbean, Soul Food, American, Italian, and Asian, every dish is a masterpiece, crafted to perfection to delight your palate.

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our intimate event space in Naugatuck, CT, complete with in-house catering and bar services. Whether it's a bridal shower, micro-wedding, birthday bash, baby shower, corporate function, or any other special occasion, our venue provides the perfect setting for your memorable event.

Don't miss our monthly public events, including poetry night, salsa night, jazz night, and more. Prefer to host elsewhere? Our off-premises catering ensures that the culinary excellence of Castillo & Sons Cuisine LLC can be enjoyed anywhere. Whether it’s delivery, limited service, or full service we’ve got you covered.

Join us for a journey of culinary delight and community celebration. Contact us today to plan your

next memorable event!

Text or Call: 914-227-6573

Email: castilloandsonscuisine@yahoo.com

One Friday, June 28 at 11 a.m., the Naugatuck Chamber will host a ribbon cutting for Castillo & Sons Cuisine, LLC's new event space at 1221 New Haven Road in Naugatuck. Join us and show support for your fellow member on this special occasion!

On Sunday, June 2, the beloved Duck Race and Festival returns once again to downtown Naugatuck. Now in its 19th iteration, this year’s festival promises to continue the tradition of a fun and free day of festivities for the whole family. The festival also has a wide-ranging economic impact, as ticket sales for the duck race supports regional nonprofits and a number of area businesses, vendors, crafters, food trucks, and other entrepreneurs will be on hand to market and sell their products and services to thousands of attendees.

Are you looking for a way to get involved beyond participating in the raffle? Show your support for this year’s festival by volunteering for the day of the event, becoming a sponsor, or sponsoring a large rubber duck in the charitable corporate duck race. 

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 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.