At halfway mark:

Labor and the Workplace

(April 4, 2008) The business community has urged lawmakers to allow employers the flexibility to design personnel policies to meet the specific needs of their companies and employees. Lawmakers were also asked to preserve the state’s workers’ compensation reforms that have made the system fairer and more effective while maintaining some of the richest benefits in the U.S.

However, amid increasing economic concerns, state lawmakers are considering many proposals that will make it tougher for employers to remain competitive.

These include measures to increase costs by expanding workers’ compensation and paid time off benefits, penalize companies for their investment decisions; and increase employers’ burdens when handling personnel issues.

Special interest groups promoting these proposals are usually very visible at the Capitol, so it is very important for business leaders to contact lawmakers to register their concerns, especially as the session enters its final weeks.

CBIA encourages lawmakers to ask whether the proposals they are considering will help — or diminish — the ability of Connecticut employers to operate here and offer good jobs.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Kia Murrell at 860-244-1931 or kia.murrell@cbia.com.