Page 165 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

amount of the Federal minimum wage plus one-half of 1 percent more than said Federal rate,
rounded to the nearest whole cent, effective on the same date as the increase in the highest
Federal minimum wage. The rates for learners, beginners, and persons under 18 years shall
be no less than 85 percent of the minimum fair wage for the first 200 hours of such employ-
ment and equal to the minimum wage thereafter, except for institutional training programs
specifically exempted by the State commissioner of labor. On January 1, 2009, the State
increased the amount of all gratuities that it shall recognize as part of the minimum fair
wage. From that date, the State shall recognize gratuities in an amount (1) equal to 31 per-
cent of the minimum fair wage per hour for persons, other than bartenders, who are
employed in the hotel and restaurant industry, including a hotel restaurant, and who cus-
tomarily and regularly receive gratuities; (2) equal to 11 percent of the minimum fair wage
per hour for persons employed as bartenders who customarily and regularly receive gratu-
ities, and (3) not to exceed 35 cents per hour in any other industry.
Time off. A person shall be excused from jury service if, during the preceding 3 jury years,
such person appeared in court for jury service and was not excused from serving, except that
the person may request to be summoned for jury service during such a 3-jury-year period in the
same manner as persons are summoned who are not excused from jury service. Such request
may be made at any time, written to the jury administrator. Any juror-employee who has served
eight hours of jury duty in any one day shall be deemed to have worked a legal day’s work, and
an employer shall not require the juror-employee to work in excess of eight hours. Any employer
who fails to compensate a juror-employee pursuant to the State General Statutes and who has
not been excused from such duty to compensate the juror-employee pursuant to the 2008 sup-
plement to the General Statutes shall be liable to the juror-employee for damages.
Wages paid. Legislation was enacted that amended the acceptable reasons for which
an employer can withhold or divert any portion of an employee’s wages by adding instances
in which deductions are made for contributions attributable to automatic enrollment, as
defined as a provision of an employee retirement plan, or any subsequent corresponding
internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, as established by
the employer. Employers that provide automatic enrollment are relieved of liability for the
investment decisions they make on behalf of participating employees, provided that (1) the
investment plan allows the participating employee at least quarterly opportunities to select
among investment alternatives available under the plan that are to serve as the employee’s
contribution to the plan; (2) the employee is given (a) notice of the investment decisions
that will be made in the absence of the employee’s direction, (b) a description of all the
investment alternatives available under the plan, and (c) a brief description of procedures
available for the employee to change investments; and (3) the employee is given at least
annual notice of the actual investments made on behalf of the employee under the com-
pany’s automatic contribution arrangement. The employer’s relief from liability extends to
any other official of the plan who actually makes the investment decisions on behalf of par-
ticipating employees under the aforesaid automatic contribution arrangement.
Worker privacy. The list of public employees in the State whose residential addresses
may not be released under the Freedom of Information Act was amended. The residential
address of an employee of the State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
who provides direct care to patients was added to the list.

148 The H R Toolkit