In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, on May 20, 2020, the City of Chicago passed the COVID-19 Anti-Retaliation Ordinance. The Ordinance prohibits Chicago employers from demoting or terminating an employee for...more
The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) has finally issued its long-awaited model sexual harassment prevention training program. As we covered here, the Workplace Transparency Act (WTA), which was passed in 2019,...more
Employers recently received a favorable ruling when a federal district court in Wisconsin held that a retail store was not required to re-arrange shifts to accommodate an applicant’s religious beliefs....more
According to data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), in 2018, 6.9% of all sexual harassment charges submitted to the EEOC were filed in Illinois, representing the third highest concentration for any...more
As referenced in our prior WISE blog article, earlier this year Illinois enacted legislation legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, effective January 1, 2020 (the "Adult Use Act"). ...more
On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") revised the salary threshold for the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") exemptions. The change could cause millions of Americans to be reclassified as non-exempt....more
On October 8, 2019, the Department of Labor ("DOL") issued long awaited rules that could have a significant impact in the restaurant industry. The proposed rules would broaden employers' abilities pay tip credit wages for...more
Wages -
Employers frequently face a rash of absences and call-offs in the wake of a natural disaster. Generally, whether a business is required to pay an employee who misses work depends on whether the employee is exempt...more
On August 8, 2019, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed the Wage Theft Prevention Ordinance, which reinforces safeguards for the city’s labor force....more
Chicago recently joined a growing trend when City Council approved one of the broadest predictive scheduling laws in the country. The Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance, which was passed on July 24, 2019, will go into effect...more
Undoubtedly, 2019 has been a year of change for Illinois employers, as businesses grapple with new minimum wages, legalized cannabis use, and a bevy of other legislative updates. Those changes are expected to continue, as the...more
Last week, the Illinois legislature passed a landmark bill authorizing recreational marijuana. Shortly thereafter, Governor J.B. Pritzker tweeted that he looks forward to signing the bill into law. ...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a decision limiting the time in which employers can raise certain defenses to claims brought under Title VII.
In Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis, the plaintiff, Lois Davis, was an...more
6/5/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Amended Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Charge-Filing Preconditions ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Forfeiture ,
Fort Bend County Texas v Davis ,
Jurisdictional Requirements ,
Mandatory Claim-Processing Rules ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
Title VII ,
Waiver Rule ,
Wrongful Termination
On Thursday, February 14, 2018, lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would make it easier for workers to bring discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA"), the federal statute that...more
On February 19, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker officially signed a bill that will raise the minimum wage in Illinois to $15 by 2025. The state's current minimum wage is $8.25, a level that has remained stagnant since...more
With 2019 officially underway, now is a prudent time for employers to review their personnel policies and practices, as well as to ensure they are compliant with many new laws....more
On Friday, companies that collect biometric information suffered a major blow when the Illinois Supreme Court held that actual damages are not required to file suit under Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)....more
If you have a job or own a company, odds are that you or your employer offer some sort of wellness incentive program. According to a May 2018 survey by the National Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments, 86...more
On January 1, 2019, a recent addition to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA) will take effect, imposing a new burden on Illinois employers.
The IWPCA, which generally governs the payment of wages and final...more