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www.shipmangoodwin.com © Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015. All rights reserved.
HARTFORD | STAMFORD | GREENWICH | NEW HAVEN | WASHINGTON, DC
Welcome to the
Labor and Employment Fall Seminar
2015 Update on Labor and Employment Law
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www.shipmangoodwin.com © Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015. All rights reserved.
HARTFORD | STAMFORD | GREENWICH | NEW HAVEN | WASHINGTON, DC
Complicated Issues Under the FMLA: More Than Just the ABCs
Lisa Banatoski Mehta
Peter J. Murphy
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News…
9
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Complicating Factors• Family Medical Leave Act (Federal and/or State)
� Intermittent leave
• Paid Sick Leave
� The interaction between the FMLA and CT’s Paid Sick
Leave law
• Americans with Disabilities Act
� The interaction between the FMLA and the ADA
• Workers’ Compensation
� The interaction between the FMLA and Workers’
Compensation
HOW ABOUT ALL FOUR!
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
FMLA (Federal and State) Issues
�Covered Employer?
�Eligible Employee?
� If yes,
Confirm available amount of
FMLA time based on applicable law
and prior usage
10
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Paid Sick Leave
�Covered
Employer?
�Eligible
Employee?
�Existing Leave
Under Policy or
Labor Contract? “I have a headache, so I’m going home.
You HAVE to pay me.”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Americans with Disabilities Act
�Covered
Employer?
�Eligible
Employee?
� Interactive
Dialogue:
What’s Required?
11
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Workers’ Compensation
�Covered Injury?
� Supplemental
Benefits?
�Work Restrictions?
�Light Duty?
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
You Make The Call!
12
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
• Larry Litigious, a custodian, fell off a ladder while
replacing a light bulb. Larry said he felt fine so he
went home without incident
• The next day, the supervisor, Sal Slipup, got a fax
from Larry’s chiropractor saying he would have to
miss 4 weeks of work
• Sal begins charging this time against Larry’s paid sick
leave allocation
Let’s Shed Some “Light” On The Issue
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
May Larry use FMLA leave for this
absence?
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1. No, because he was injured
at work and its covered by
“comp”
2. No, because he did not
specifically request it
3. Only if workers’ comp
denies his claim
4. Yes, assuming he is eligible
13
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Answer
• Yes, Larry can use FMLA leave for this 4
week absence provided it qualifies as a
serious health condition
• Did Sal Slipup make a mistake, though?
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
FMLA and Paid Leave
• FMLA is unpaid leave
• However, an employer can require
substitution of paid leave for unpaid
FMLA leave
• Query: Application of CT Paid Sick
Leave?
14
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Does the substitution rule apply to
Larry?
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1. Yes, he can be required to use
paid leave in addition to workers’
compensation
2. Yes, he will use paid leave instead
of receiving workers’
compensation
3. No, he can only receive workers’
compensation during this FMLA
leave
4. No, he gets nothing; it was his
fault
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Answer: It Depends.• Because the workers’ compensation absence is
not unpaid, the provision for substitution of the
employee's accrued paid leave is not applicable;
neither the employee nor the employer may
require the substitution of paid leave
• However, employers and employees may agree,
where state law permits, to have paid leave
supplement workers’ compensation benefits,
where workers’ compensation only provides
partial replacement income of an employee's
salary
15
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
The Designation Letter AND
Certification Forms Are Important!
• Reason for Leave Information
• Timing Issues
• Address Any Paid Leave and Benefit
Payments
• Required Updates and Recertification
• Intermittent Leave Information
• Return to Work Requirements
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After several weeks, Larry
tells Sal that he is ready
to return to work,
but needs Sal to create
a desk job for him.
Back to Work (Sort of)...
16
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Not So Fast…
A few years ago, Sal refused
to create a desk job for one
of Larry’s coworkers who
was pregnant because her
condition was (presumably)
not work-related.
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Should Sal create a desk job for Larry?
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1. Yes, workers’ compensation
requires Sal to create the job
2. Yes, the ADA requires Sal to
create the job
3. No, because she did not do it for
the pregnant custodian
4. No, because it is not equivalent to
Larry’s custodial job
5. No, but if one already exists, Sal
may give it to Larry
17
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Answer: It Depends.
• Under the Workers’ Compensation Act,
the employer does not have to provide
light duty work if none is available
• However, if such work is available, and suitable to
Larry’s condition prior to his reaching “maximum
medical improvement,” the employer must provide
such work
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Answer: Continued...
• Under FMLA, if the
health care provider
treating Larry’s workers'
compensation injury
certifies he is able to return to a “light duty job” but
that he is unable to return to the same or equivalent
job, Larry may decline the employer's offer of a
“light duty job”
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Can Sal pay Larry as a clerical worker
instead of his higher custodian wage?
1 2 3
0% 0%0%
1. Yes
2. Only if Larry stays in
the desk job after his
FMLA leave expires
3. No
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Just One More Thing…
• After several weeks, Larry
tells Sal that he now needs
to leave at 1:00 p.m. twice
a week for chiropractor
appointments.
• Sal thinks this is excessive,
and wants to deny Larry’s
request.
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How should Sal respond to Larry’s
request?
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1. Charge it against his vacation/
personal time
2. Count it as intermittent FMLA
3. Contact his chiropractor to
confirm that he really
has appointments
4. Refuse to pay him for it
5. In a few weeks, fire him for
absenteeism
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Intermittent Leave under the FMLA
• Intermittent leave means leave taken in separate
periods of time rather than for one continuous period
of time
• An employee may take intermittent leave whenever it
is medically necessary for a serious health condition
of the eligible employee, his or her spouse, child or
parent
• Can be taken for portions of days, or full days on an
occasional/“as needed” basis for qualifying reasons
20
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Managing Intermittent Leave
• If there are scheduling issues, employers may
temporarily transfer employees taking intermittent
leave to another position of equal pay and benefits.
Equivalent duties are not necessary under FMLA,
however, consider bargaining issues
• Employers have the option of modifying the existing
position to accommodate the employee’s leave
schedule
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More Leave, Please!Larry starts calling out sick on
some Fridays each month. Larry
requests intermittent leave for
these absences. He explains that
he needs this leave because by
the end of the week his back is in
pain. Sal is getting increasingly
frustrated.
Does Sal have any options?
21
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Can Sal Do Anything?
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1. Nothing – intermittent
leave stinks!
2. Yes – Fire Larry
for abusing leave
3. Yes – Follow-up
with Larry’s doctor
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Answer
• Yes, Sal may follow up with Larry’s doctor
• Under Federal FMLA, there is an option for
medical re-certification when “circumstances
described by the previous certification have
changed significantly (e.g., the duration or
frequency of the absence, the nature or severity
of the illness, complications)”
22
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Connecticut Law
• The CT FMLA statute specifically prohibits re-
certifications of less than 30 days, and does not
address changed circumstances at all
• Also, the CT FMLA regulations do not allow re-
certification every 30 days if the original certification
included a “minimum duration” for the underlying
serious health condition that is longer than 30 days
• You must confirm the facts carefully before
proceeding
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Monday Morning Quarterbacking…
Larry loves to watch NFL football on the
weekends and gets a little too excited about the
games -- often leaping from the couch when
there’s a touchdown! He wrenches his back so
his doctor has prescribed him muscle relaxants to
take on Sunday nights to help with the pain. He
wakes up free of pain, but groggy and tells Sal
that he needs to come in late every Monday.
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Must Sal allow leave for this
purpose?
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1. Yes
2. No
3. It depends,
because lawyers
always say that!
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One Monday, Larry fails to return
and exhausts his FMLA. Larry’s
doctor says he needs another 3
weeks of leave. Larry is still
receiving workers’ compensation
benefits. Larry’s employer has a
“no fault” leave policy.
Point of No Return?
24
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Should Sal Terminate Larry?
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1. Yes – It’s about time!
2. No – because of the
ADA
3. No – because Larry is
on Workers’
Compensation
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Answer
Probably not, because of the ADA
and Workers’ Compensation Act
25
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Application of the ADA
• Under the ADA, it is clear that far more health
conditions may be subject to “disability”
coverage, reasonable accommodations, and
protection, even some short term conditions
• In Larry’s situation, his unpaid leave likely
qualifies as a reasonable accommodation
invoking the protection of the ADA
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Impact of Workers’ Compensation
• Workers’ Compensation claims of retaliation/
discriminatory discharge under CGS § 31-290a are
common when an employer terminates an injured
employee, no matter how much time has passed
without him/her returning to work
• Even though Larry has exhausted all of his available
FMLA time, terminating him may give the
appearance of retaliation because of the “confluence
in time” to the date of his injury
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HR recommends that Sal not
terminate Larry. Sal writes a
letter to Larry granting him
the requested 3 weeks of
additional leave. Of course,
3 weeks later, Larry requests
another 4 weeks off.
Will It Ever End?
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Should Sal give Larry more time?
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1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe, because
lawyer’s always
say that
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Larry returns to the “light duty” position and
after 6 months, Sal decides that she can’t justify
paying a custodian to sit at a desk. Sal decides to
eliminate the “light duty” position. Sal plans to
use the savings to hire Ronald Replacement as a
custodian to fill Larry’s old role.
Back on the (Desk) Job!
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Can Sal eliminate Larry’s position?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. No, because Larry was
injured on the job
2. No, not if Larry is
disabled
3. Yes, if there is a
legitimate business reason
4. Yes, because his FMLA
leave has been exhausted
28
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Overview of the ADA
• Federal law that prohibits discrimination against
individuals on the basis of disability. It applies to all
state and local entities
• May not discriminate against an otherwise qualified
individual (i.e., participant must meet all essential
qualifications with or without reasonable
accommodations)
• Requires “reasonable accommodations”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
If, after learning of Sal’s plans,
Larry demands a reasonable
accommodation, can Sal still fire him?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. No, it would be disability
discrimination
2. No, if the desk job is a
reasonable accommodation
3. Yes, Larry waited too long to
make the demand
4. Yes, Larry is not disabled if he
can work any job
29
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Questions
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HARTFORD | STAMFORD | GREENWICH | NEW HAVEN | WASHINGTON, DC
Coffee Break
Please return by 10:30 a.m.
Agenda:
10:30 – 11:15 – The NLRB vs.
Your Employee Handbook
11:15 – 12:00 – Medical
Marijuana in the Workplace
30
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HARTFORD | STAMFORD | GREENWICH | NEW HAVEN | WASHINGTON, DC
The NLRB vs.
Your Employee HandbookDaniel A. Schwartz
Christopher E. Engler
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
What is your favorite thing about the
Halloween season?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. The candy
2. The costumes
3. The movies
4. Pumpkin spice lattes
31
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What is your favorite Halloween
movie?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. Halloween
2. Hocus Pocus
3. Casper the Friendly
Ghost
4. Scream
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
The Law: The National Labor
Relations Act
• The law has not changed and has been in
existence for decades
• But, the interpretation has evolved to “fit”
modern times
• And, to make the National Labor Relations
Board more relevant
32
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Does the NLRA apply to your
workplace?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes, but only to our
employees who are
union members
4. Maybe
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
The Law: The National Labor
Relations Act
• “Section 7” rights
� Apply to all employees
� Right to self-organization, to join labor
organizations, to bargain collectively
� To engage in “other concerted activities” for the
purpose of collective bargaining or other “mutual
aid and protection”
33
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Public Sector Laws
• State law provides identical rights to state and
municipal employees:
� Section 7-468 of Municipal Employee Relations
Act (“MERA”)
� Section 5-271 of State Employee Relations Act
(“SERA”)
• Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations (“SBLR”)
often follows NLRB precedent and guidance
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
What is Protected Concerted
Activity?
• Is employee acting on behalf of other employees?
• Is employee initiating group action?
• What is the subject of the employee’s conduct?
• Who heard or saw the conduct?
• How did employee communicate the conduct?
• Was employee disparaging or disloyal?
34
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What is Protected Concerted
Activity?
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
• Speaking to co-workers about preferential
treatment and favoritism of other employees
• Public statements about patient care issues
• Employee complained about fuel surcharge
that decreased employees’ net pay
What is Protected Concerted
Activity?
35
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• “Supervisor insults are protected activity”
What is Protected Concerted Activity?
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
“Inherent” Protected Concerted
Activity
• Discussions about wages, work schedules and
job security are likely to spawn collective
action
36
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“Inherent” Protected Concerted
Activity
• Employee asks
co-worker about
help-wanted
advertisement to
see who would be
terminated
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What is Not Protected?
• Posting unprofessional
“tweets” where employee
had not discussed
concerns with co-workers
37
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What is Not Protected?
• Complaints about tip sharing
policy
• Criticizing employer on page
of U.S. Senator
• Comment made on way to
pick up patient making fun
of co-worker
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You Be the NLRB!
Do these employees’ actions constitute protected
concerted activity?
38
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“Bob is such a NASTY MOTHER
F*@KER don’t know how to talk to
people!!!!! F*@k his mother and his entire
f*@king family!!! What a loser!!!! Vote
YES for the UNION!!!!!!
An Employee Posts This on
Facebook:
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Do the employee’s actions constitute
protected concerted activity?
a b c d
0% 0%0%0%
a. No, because profanity
isn’t protected
b. No, because it involves
Bob’s family
c. Yes, but only if Bob
never saw the post
d. Yes, because it shows
support for the Union
39
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
An employee seeks her coworker’s
assistance in pursing a sexual
harassment complaint. The
employee was the only victim of the
harassment.
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Do the employee’s actions constitute
protected concerted activity?
a b c
0% 0%0%
a. No, because the employee
should report the harassment
to HR immediately
b. No, because the complaint
would only “benefit” the
individual employee
c. Yes, because the harasser
might harass other employees
40
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Protect Yourself With A Policy
• Be careful not to be too broad
� Will employees (or the NLRB) construe the
policy to prohibit protected concerted
activity?
� Is policy being used as such?
• Was policy drafted in response to protected
activity?
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
How to Draft a Compliant Policy
• The NLRB likes limiting language – a
“savings clause”
� “This policy is not designed to prohibit or
preclude employees’ exercise of their rights
under Section 7 of the NLRA”
� “Please go form a union”
41
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Confidentiality Policies• Do:
� Draft policies carefully
� Provide examples and context
� Use limiting language
• Don’t:
� Use provisions relating to employment terms and
conditions
� Overreach
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Unlawful Provisions
• Do not discuss customer or employee information
outside of work, including phone numbers and
addresses
• If something is not public information, you must not
share it
• You must not disclose proprietary or confidential
information about the company or other associates if
the information was obtained in violation of the law
or lawful company policy
42
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Lawful Provisions
• No authorized disclosure of business secrets or
other confidential information
• Misuse or unauthorized disclosure of
confidential information not otherwise
available to persons outside of company is
cause for disciplinary action, including
termination
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
You Decide: Which of these policies is
most likely to be lawful?
a b c
0% 0%0%
a. Never publish or report on
conversations that are meant to
be private or internal to the
company
b. Do not disclose details about the
company
c. Do not disclose confidential
financial data or other non-public
proprietary company information
43
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Confidentiality of Human Resource
Investigations
• No automatic confidentiality
• Factors:
� Protect witnesses
� Prevent destruction of evidence
� Ensure that testimony is not fabricated
� Prevent a cover-up
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Regulating Employee
Conduct Toward Employer
• Proceed with caution!
• The NLRA has been
interpreted to provide very
broad rights to employees
• Few permissible restrictions
remain
44
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Unlawful Policies
• Do not make fun of, denigrate, or defame your
co-workers, customers, suppliers, or
competition
• Be respectful of others and the company
• No defamatory or discriminatory comments
about the company, its customers, its
competitors, employees, or management
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Lawful Policies
• No rudeness or unprofessional behavior
toward a customer
• Employees are expected to work in a
cooperative manner with management, co-
workers, customers, and vendors
45
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You Decide: Which of these policies
is most likely to be lawful?
a b c
0% 0%0%
a. Being insubordinate, threatening,
intimidating, disrespectful, or
assaulting a manager, co-worker,
or customer will result in
discipline
b. No disrespectful conduct or
insubordination, including refusing
to follow supervisors’ orders
c. Maintain a respectful atmosphere
at all times
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Employee Conduct Toward Other
Employees
• Perhaps a little more
discretion for employers
here
• But, the rules are still
slanted toward employees
being able to do and say
more than you might want
46
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Unlawful Policies
• Do not pick fights online
• Do not make insulting, embarrassing,
hurtful, or abusive comments about other
employees online
• Show proper consideration for others’
privacy and avoid topics that may be
considered objectionable or inflammatory
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Lawful Policies
• Do not make inappropriate gestures, including visual
staring
• Any graphic work by employees must not reflect
violent, discriminatory, abusive, offensive,
demeaning, or unprofessional messages
• No harassment of employees, patients, or facility
visitors
• No use of racial slurs or derogatory comments
47
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You Decide: Inquiries from outside the
company
a b c
0% 0%0%
a. All inquiries from the media
must be referred to the Director
of Operations
b. If you are contacted by any
governmental agency, you must
contact the Law Department
immediately
c. The company will respond to the
news media only through the
designated spokesperson
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Photography And Recordings
• Basically, the more
detail you can
provide as to the
reason and scope of
the rule, the better
the chance it will
work
48
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Other Considerations
• Restrictions on leaving work should be
specific
• At will employment statements
• Use of logos and trademarks
• Conflict of interest rules
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Questions?
49
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HARTFORD | STAMFORD | GREENWICH | NEW HAVEN | WASHINGTON, DC
Medical Marijuana in the Workplace:A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole
Kevin M. Roy
Keegan A. Drenosky
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Marijuana Legislation in the U.S.
• Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia have
legalized some type of marijuana usage
• Some of these states, like Connecticut, only allow the
use of medical marijuana, while others also permit
recreational use
• There are ballot initiatives in many other states
regarding similar proposed legislation
50
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Potential Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiatives:
Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, NebraskaSee “Marijuana on the Ballot,” BALLOTPEDIA,
available at http://ballotpedia.org/Marijuana_on_the_ballot#tab=By_year
See Kathleen McLaughlin, “Medical Marijuana Bill Won’t
Fly This Session, But Attitudes Shift,” INDIANAPOLIS BUS. J.
(Jan. 31, 2015)
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
What % of Americans support
the use of medical marijuana?
34%
53%
67%86%
0% 0%0%0%
1. 34%
2. 53%
3. 67%
4. 86%
51
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Connecticut Legislation
• May 31, 2012 passage of “An Act Concerning the
Palliative Use of Marijuana”
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-408 et seq.
� Legal for “qualifying patients” and “primary caregivers” to
possess limited amounts of marijuana for “palliative use”
� In order to be a “qualifying patient,” a person must have a
physician written prescription, a valid registration from the
Department of Consumer Protection, and a diagnosis of a
“debilitative medical condition”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Which of the following illnesses is a
“Debilitative Medical Condition”?
1 2 3 4 5 6
0% 0% 0%0%0%0%
1. Attention Deficit Disorder
2. Influenza
3. Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder
4. Psoriasis
5. All of the above
6. None of the above
52
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(A) cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human
immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency
syndrome, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to
the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective
neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy,
cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn's disease, posttraumatic
stress disorder, or
(B) any medical condition, medical treatment or disease
approved by the Department of Consumer Protection
pursuant to regulations adopted under section 14 of this act
“Debilitating Medical Condition”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Where does the CT Palliative Use
Act permit medical marijuana use?
1 2 3 4
0% 0%0%0%
1. Moving vehicles
2. Schools
3. The workplace
4. At home
53
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“No employer may refuse to hire a person or may
discharge, penalize or threaten an employee solely on
the basis of such . . . employee’s status as a qualifying
patient or primary caregiver. . . . Nothing in this
subdivision shall restrict an employer's ability to
prohibit the use of intoxicating substances during
work hours or restrict an employer's ability to
discipline an employee for being under the influence
of intoxicating substances during work hours.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-408p(b)(3)
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Potential Problem Areas
Hypothetical #1:
Your employee, Bob Jones, appears under the influence
of marijuana at work, where he is responsible for
computer data input. When questioned, he tells you he
is getting treated for cancer and going through
chemotherapy, and the only thing that helps is medical
marijuana, so he smoked a bowl at lunch to keep from
throwing up. He apologizes and says he will do
something light until the effect wears off.
54
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How do you respond to Bob Jones?
1 2 3
0% 0%0%
1. Fire him
2. Determine whether he has a
written certification from a
physician and is a
“qualifying patient,” and
then fire him
3. Accommodate Bob’s
request by allowing him to
go home and smoke at
lunch
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Employers May:
• Continue to prohibit the use of intoxicating
substances, including marijuana, in the
workplace
• Employers may continue to discipline
employees for being under the influence of
intoxicating substances at work
55
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Hypothetical #2:
Your employee, Jen Smith, asks her
direct manager if he would
accommodate her use of medical
marijuana.
The manager responds: “Hell no!
You can’t be stoned at work!”
Jen says, “Gee, I have glaucoma and
I was hoping you’d accommodate
my condition.”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Was the manager’s response
appropriate?
No
Yes
Mayb
e
0% 0%0%
1. No
2. Yes
3. Maybe
56
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Conflict Between State and Federal Law
• Marijuana, even for medical use, is still illegal under
federal law
� Attorney General – Possessing marijuana in any
capacity, other than a federally authorized research
program, is a violation of federal law regardless of
state laws permitting such activities
• Employers may discriminate if required by federal
funding or contracting provisions
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
High Risk and Safety Sensitive Jobs
• Federal DOT Regulations: Unacceptable for any
safety-sensitive employee subject to drug testing
under DOT regulations to use marijuana, regardless
of state legislation
• What jobs are “safety-sensitive”?
� Conductors, school bus drivers, pilots, etc.; jobs
regulated by federal law
• Federal OSHA: Employers have a general duty to
provide safe work environment
57
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American With Disabilities Act 42
U.S.C. § 1201 et seq., “ADA”• Employers must provide a reasonable
accommodation to qualified individuals with
disabilities unless to do so would cause an undue
hardship
• The ADA excludes persons currently engaged in the
“illegal use of drugs” from the definition of an
“individual with a disability”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Must Employers Accommodate
Medical Marijuana Use?
• NOT under the ADA
• “We recognize that the plaintiffs are gravely ill, and that their
request for ADA relief implicates not only their right to live
comfortably, but also their basic human dignity. . . . Congress
has made clear, however, that the ADA defines ‘illegal drug
use’ by reference to federal, rather than state law, and federal
law does not authorize the plaintiffs’ medical marijuana use.”
James v. Costa Mesa
58
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• No protected class based on use of medical marijuana
� BUT an employee may argue that he was discriminated
against based on his underlying disability
• Anti-discrimination provision of the Palliative Use Act =
employers are prohibited from discriminating against a
“qualifying patient”
� We are likely to see additional discrimination cases in CT
on these grounds
Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act, § 46a-60, et seq.,“CFEPA”
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Hypothetical #3: You are considering John Henry
for a position with your company. You search for
him on the internet and find his public Facebook
page, where he has posted pictures of himself
smoking a joint. On this basis, you decide not to hire
John. John later finds out the reason he wasn’t
chosen for the position and sues your company,
claiming that he wasn’t hired because of a perceived
disability and/or because you don’t want to
accommodate his use of medical marijuana.
59
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Does John Henry have a valid
claim?
1 2 3
0% 0%0%
1. No
2. Yes
3. Maybe
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Drug Testing
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51t, et seq.
� Requires that an employer have “reasonable
suspicion” that an employee is under the influence
� Generally may not require random drug testing
• Testing positive for marijuana may not necessarily
mean an employee is “under the influence”
� Blood tests vs. urine tests
60
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How Can Employers Avoid These
Issues?
• Train managers to document verifiable observations
in order to prove an employee was under the
influence at work
• Determine whether the employee is a “qualifying
patient” and/or has requested an accommodation for a
disability
• Determine whether additional lab testing can be done
to determine when the drug was used
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Lessons from Other States
• Majority of courts across the country considering
these issues have concluded that employers may
discipline employees that use marijuana in the
workplace, are under the influence, or fail drug tests
• Courts have concluded that because medical
marijuana is illegal under federal law, the activity
cannot be “lawful” for purposes of the state law
61
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Employer Policies
• Revise policies to reflect the 2012 CT legislation
• Adopt straightforward, zero tolerance policies for
employees that use drugs at work or that are under the
influence at work
• Educate staff on these policies and procedures
• Comply with required federal laws
• Review these policies and legal updates frequently, as
the law is evolving
www.shipmangoodwin.com© Shipman & Goodwin LLP 2015
Questions?