Connecticut Wrongful Termination Laws

Connecticut has gone above and beyond federal employee protection laws, as found in statutes such as the Federal Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As an “at will” state, employees may quit a job for any reason, and employers may terminate an employee for any reason except those specifically outlined in those federal laws and any additional state laws. That means employees who believe they have a case for wrongful termination have many federal and state laws that provide protections that might enable them to file a claim with the EEOC or a lawsuit in civil court.

Connecticut’s Specific Labor Laws

Connecticut provides a number of very specific state statutes that expand the employee protections provided in federal laws. Some of those specific states laws include:

Benefit	State Law	Additional Benefits
Right to Work	No
State Minimum Wage	greater than $7.65 or FLSA rate + ½%	Maximum tip credit 29.3% waiters, 8.2% bartenders, $0.35 others; minimum wage for tipped employees $5.41 waiters, $7.03 bartenders, $7.30 others
State Military Leave	Yes	USERRA applies except in relation to life insurance; leave for meetings or training allowed during working hours without discrimination or loss of benefits
Jury Duty	Yes	Paid leave for all full-time employees for 5 days, state pays up to $50/day thereafter
Voting	No
Garnishment	Yes	Limit 7 within a calendar year with no discrimination or retaliation
State Family & Medical Leave	Yes	For businesses with 75 employees-childbirth, adoption, serious health issue; 3 employees-maternity and disability; for all employees with 1 year and 1,000 hours of service in last 12 months; Family Medical leave includes 16 weeks in a 24-month period for childbirth, adoption, serious health condition for employee, serious health condition for family member, bone marrow transplant or becoming an organ donor; “reasonable” maternity disability; up to 2 weeks sick leave
Arrest & Conviction Records	Yes	Cannot ask about criminal records that have been erased; must inform applicants that they may respond as if such convictions never happened and how to have records erased; if other convictions used to reject employment, reasons and evidence must be provided in writing
Discrimination	Yes	3 or more employees; age discrimination (40 & older); national origin, disability (physical, mental, learning), AIDS/HIV; gender, marital status; pregnancy & child birth, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic testing information; mental retardation
Whistleblower	Yes	For both public and private employees, no retribution permitted as long as revelation known to be accurate
Plant Closings	Yes	For permanent closure or out of state relocation except for bankruptcy; applies to plants employing 100 or more at any time in previous 12 months; employer continues health coverage for 120 days or until employee is eligible for other coverage

*These laws change often, so consult state statutes for the most up-to-date information.

Connecticut Discrimination Laws

Connecticut provides a wide range of discrimination laws protecting citizens in all walks of life from wrongful termination or discrimination in hiring and firing in the workplace. Those state laws require that claims filed in state agencies take precedence over private suits, although individuals are allowed to pursue private suits if agency claims fail:

Enforcement, administration, and investigation by the state takes precedence over private suits
Employees are permitted to file private lawsuits only after pursuing a claim through the appropriate government agency
Employees are permitted to recover attorney’s fees from a defendant
Statutes of limitations are 180 days in all instances except for violation of discrimination based on arrest and conviction, which is 30 days.

Filing a Claim for Wrongful Termination

EEOC claims are thoroughly investigated for validity before the agency will consider filing suit. If the employee is deemed to have case, the EEOC will proceed to the next steps:

Mediation/Conciliation
When appropriate, filing a lawsuit

Only after agency measures are concluded, or after 180 days, will an employee be able to pursue private legal remedies.

Legal Remedies for Wrongful Termination

Legal remedies available for employees determined to be the victims of wrongful termination include:

Reinstatement
Back pay
Compensation for stress and suffering
Punitive damages to prevent further abuses by the employer
Mandated policy changes to protect other employees in that company

In Connecticut, employers may face additional penalties when found guilty of wrongful termination under state laws:

Jury duty – criminal contempt of court, with fines of up to $500 and/or jail terms of up to 30 days; may also be liable for 10 weeks of back pay. If employer fails to comply, they may be liable for triple damages and attorney’s fees.

Garnishment – employers are liable for all back wages from time of termination and until reinstatement. For child support or child health care garnishment, employer is liable for fines of up to $1,000.

Whistleblower – employee can bring suit within 90 days for violations after utilizing all agency remedies. Public employees may file claim within 30 days.

Connecticut requires employees to file claims through EEOC agencies exclusively first. If those processes fail to provide the compensation or damages the employee feels they are due, they can then file private suits with the help of an employee rights attorney.