Beginning on January 1, 2022, paid leave benefits under the Connecticut Paid Leave program (CPL) will be available for certain qualifying events under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA), and the Connecticut Family Violence Leave Act.  In the meantime, employers are responsible for complying with certain key dates in advance of January 2022.  On January 1, 2021, employers began withholding employee contributions (0.5% payroll tax) from each employee’s paycheck for ultimate remittance to the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority trust fund, which will fund the payment of CPL benefits.

The first quarterly payment to the CPL Authority is due at the end of this month (March 2021).  After that it’s pretty much smooth sailing (except for remaining quarterly payments) until paid benefits become available to employees next January.

One more thing: The Connecticut Department of Labor will publish guidance on or before January 2022 under the vastly expanded CT FMLA, which together with the CPL will provide nearly all private sector employees with some form of leave benefit, including paid or unpaid leave, and job protection. We’ll follow up to get you the information you need once that guidance is issued.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t update you before then.

In the meantime, you can call on Murtha Cullina’s Labor and Employment Group with any questions about this or any other employment issue.      

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Photo of Salvatore G. Gangemi Salvatore G. Gangemi

Salvatore G. Gangemi, a partner at Murtha Cullina, is a veteran labor and employment lawyer with nearly 30 years of litigation and counseling experience.

Employers from across the industry spectrum, including established companies in the senior living and health care fields; manufacturing, construction…

Salvatore G. Gangemi, a partner at Murtha Cullina, is a veteran labor and employment lawyer with nearly 30 years of litigation and counseling experience.

Employers from across the industry spectrum, including established companies in the senior living and health care fields; manufacturing, construction, retail and service firms; and emerging companies, seek Sal’s legal counsel to navigate today’s complex local, state and federal employment laws. His practice includes resolving disputes; advocating in courts and before administrative agencies; counseling on employment-related issues arising from acquisitions; and guiding clients in both long-range strategy and day-to-day administration of their workplaces and employees.

At the federal level, Sal brings extensive experience in OSHA investigations, audits and proceedings; the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); Title VII discrimination matters; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA); the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). He is also well-versed in state and local employment regulations.

Sal regularly represents clients in matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies. On the state level, he appears before the New York State Division of Human Rights; the New York City Commission on Human Rights; the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities; the Connecticut Department of Labor; and the New York State Department of Labor. He has litigated cases involving misappropriation of trade secrets, restrictive covenants, breach of employment contract, fiduciary duty and other work-related common law claims.

Clients rely on Sal’s advice on routine human resources matters that arise in their businesses, including requests for reasonable accommodation for those with disabilities, family and medical leave issues, hiring and termination, and wage and hour concerns. Known for his proactive approach to identifying issues before they escalate, he conducts compliance training on sexual harassment prevention and other topics, performs worker classification practice and policy audits, and drafts employment policies and agreements. Sal shares his knowledge of the ever-evolving employment law landscape by speaking at events, conducting continuing legal education seminars and writing articles for a variety of publications.