Real World Impact: A recent increase in complaints under the Illinois One Day Rest in Seven Act (ODRISA) highlights the necessity for Illinois employers to be familiar with the requirements of this law....more
1/28/2025
/ Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Illinois ,
Labor Regulations ,
Penalties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Illinois Legislature was busy in 2024, passing a slew of new employment laws and amendments to existing laws, only one of which in any manner affirmatively helps employers. Below is a summary of the bills that were signed...more
1/8/2025
/ Compliance ,
E-Verify ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Illinois ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Transparency ,
Personnel Records ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Illinois Legislature has been busy this 2024 session, passing more than 10 new employment laws or amendments to existing employment laws in May 2024, only one of which in any manner affirmatively helps employers. We will...more
9/5/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
E-Verify ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Illinois ,
Labor Reform ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Illinois Legislature has been busy this 2024 session, passing more than 10 new employment laws or amendments to existing employment laws in May 2024, only one of which in any manner affirmatively helps employers. We will...more
7/12/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
Discrimination ,
E-Verify ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Illinois ,
Notice Requirements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Temporary Employees ,
Wage and Hour
Executive Summary: Washington, D.C. and Maryland recently enacted pay transparency and wage history laws. In passing these laws, the two jurisdictions join a growing number of states including California, Colorado, Illinois,...more
7/2/2024
/ Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Job Ads ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Reform ,
Pay Gap ,
Pay Transparency ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Executive Summary: On April 30, 2024, the Illinois Department of Labor (“IDOL”) finalized its Rules for the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (“PLAW Act” or “the Act”). In November, the IDOL proposed Rules for the law that we...more
Executive Summary: In January 2023, the Illinois Legislature passed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAW Act). The PLAW Act specifically exempted the City of Chicago and certain municipalities in Cook County because they...more
12/28/2023
/ City of Chicago ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Illinois ,
Labor Reform ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Executive Summary: In March 2023, the Illinois Legislature enacted the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAW Act), which becomes effective January 1, 2024. This law requires, with a few exceptions, “an employee who works in...more
Executive Summary: In response to the State of Illinois enacting the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (“PLAW Act”), which requires 40 hours of paid leave to be provided to employees that can be used for any reason, but exempts...more
Executive Summary: On December 14, 2023, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance, which replaces the Earned Sick Leave Ordinance. The new Paid Leave Ordinance (the “Ordinance”) is...more
Executive Summary: For this entire 2023-2024 Illinois legislative term, we have been closely watching dozens of proposed employment bills make their way through the Illinois Legislature. In the weeks of May 8 and 15, 2023,...more
5/24/2023
/ Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
E-Verify ,
Employee Benefits ,
Equal Pay ,
Illinois ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On January 10, 2023, the Illinois Legislature passed the “Paid Leave for All Workers Act,” (PLAW Act) effectively guaranteeing that as of January 1, 2024, with a few exceptions, “an employee who works in Illinois” will be...more
On April 21, 2021, the City of Chicago enacted the Vaccine Anti-Retaliation Ordinance that provides all workers in Chicago with rights to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations during their work hours and imposes significant penalties...more
4/27/2021
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
Executive Summary: On March 23, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Illinois Senate Bill 1480 which amends the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003, and the Illinois Business Corporation...more
4/9/2021
/ Ban the Box ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
EEO-1 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Gap ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
As Illinois employers ponder their futures amid the COVID-19 crisis, many are trying to determine whether some form of reducing employees’ hours is the solution. Many have inquired whether their employees can make up the...more
In the most expansive predictive scheduling law in the country to date, Chicago City officials passed the “Fair Workweek Ordinance” on July 24, 2019, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot has indicated she would quickly sign the...more
7/26/2019
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Covered Employees ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Workweek ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Local Ordinance ,
Manufacturers ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Lifting Up Illinois Working Families Act into law on February 19, 2019. The Act gradually increases the minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next six years. Illinois is now the...more
On April 2, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro that service advisors at automotive dealerships are exempt from overtime. The exemption at issue involves “any salesman, partsman or...more
4/3/2018
/ Appeals ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Congressional Intent ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Legislative History ,
Navarro v Encino Motorcars ,
Over-Time ,
Reversal ,
Salespersons ,
SCOTUS ,
Service Advisors ,
Statutory Construction Test ,
Wage and Hour
Following recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia involving a “Unite the Right” rally organized by multiple white nationalist groups protesting the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, which turned violent and ended in...more
As most employers in the “Chicagoland” area are hopefully already aware, both Chicago and Cook County have enacted paid sick leave (PSL) ordinances that go into effect July 1, 2017. Although the two ordinances are remarkably...more
As most employers in the “Chicagoland” area are hopefully already aware, both Chicago and Cook County have enacted paid sick leave (PSL) ordinances that go into effect July 1, 2017. Although the two ordinances are remarkably...more
With more and more jurisdictions on local and state levels enacting paid sick leave laws, and likely more to come, a frequent question from affected employers is whether it is preferable to have separate vacation/personal...more