labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Connecticut, known as The Constitution State, was the fifth of the original 13 colonies. Established in 1788, the state has sprouted many industries and inventions. From the PEZ® Candy factory in Orange, the first telephone book in New Haven or the first steel mill in America which was located in Simsbury, Connecticut has never been without industry and invention.

As for workers, Connecticut allows employers to decide whether or not they pay their workers holiday pay. Holiday pay is usually agreed upon at the time of employment. State workers, however, are granted holiday pay for federal holidays and two days which are deemed holidays by the governor. These two holidays are Lincoln’s Birthday and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter). The other legal holidays are as follows: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day and Christmas Day.

Whenever holidays fall on a weekend, the holiday is given on the previous or following day. For instance, a holiday which falls on a Saturday is celebrated, for the purposes of work, on the previous Friday. A holiday falling on a Sunday would be celebrated on the following Monday.

If an employee needs help resolving a problem with his employer, he can contact the Wage and Workplace Standards Division, a division of the Connecticut Department of Labor. The WWSD “promotes prosperity and stability in the workplace.” To this end, they make sure employees receive any benefits due them by enforcing the laws of the workplace. They also help employers comply with the law through educational programs and materials.

With about 1,800 civilians employed in the state, an unemployment rate of 4.3% as of July, 2006, is about at the middle- to low-end of the spectrum. This number of employees does not include the military members stationed and living in Connecticut at any given time.