The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a final rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) expressly authorizing employers to offer bonuses, hazard pay, and other premiums to employees whose hours, and regular rate...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidance requiring all employers to evaluate confirmed cases of COVID-19 for work-relatedness and to record those cases that are determined to be...more
On May 14, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued general guidance for workplaces, schools, youth programs and camps, childcare centers, mass transit systems, and restaurants and bars looking to...more
On April 30, Governor Pritzker issued Illinois’ second stay-at-home order which will remain in effect through May 30. The Order represents the first step in the process to reopen the State during the coronavirus disease 2019...more
5/6/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Manufacturers ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Retail Market ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Telecommuting ,
Workplace Safety
Last summer, the Illinois General Assembly enacted SB 7, which introduced sweeping changes to Illinois law intended to combat sexual harassment. One of the new mandates included in that legislation was a requirement that all...more
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) has called an emergency meeting on Monday to withdraw its controversial new rule adopting a rebuttal presumption of work-relatedness for first responders and essential...more
OSHA has issued three new alerts in its industry-specific series aimed at increasing worker protection during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new alerts, issued on April 13, 16 and 21, are directed at employees in package...more
As federal, state and local governments contemplate plans to ease stay at home orders and reopen the economy, the EEOC has updated its guidance to address common issues that employers may encounter as employees idled by the...more
Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (interim plan) to guide the agency’s field personnel in handling investigations into...more
To clear up some uncertainty in the language of the CARES Act’s Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) and the subsequent interim final rules, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”)...more
On April 13, 2020, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) issued an emergency rule creating a rebuttable presumption that first responders and other essential workers identified in Governor Pritzker’s March 20...more
Over the past two weeks, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new poster, safety tips specific to retail workers, and updated guidance for employers that have mandatory respirator programs....more
The FFCRA requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide emergency paid sick and FMLA leave benefits to employees for reasons related to COVID-19....more
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) requires employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide emergency sick and FMLA leave benefits to employees for reasons related to COVID-19....more
Over the weekend (March 28 and 29, 2020), the United States Department of Labor updated its Question and Answers webpage providing guidance regarding implementation of the paid sick and FMLA leave provisions of the Families...more
4/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EFMLA ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
New Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
Yesterday afternoon (March 24, 2020), the Department of Labor issued Question & Answer guidance concerning the emergency paid sick leave and expanded FMLA leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. For...more
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance for employers facing the ever-increasing challenges arising from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. ...more
On both Monday and Tuesday, we reported on HR6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act bill, which provides employees affected by coronavirus with paid sick leave and paid FMLA benefits. The leave provisions in the...more
On March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in response to the ongoing coronavirus emergency. HR6201 includes two new laws relating to employee leave from...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Yesterday, we informed you that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Act, which requires employers with fewer than 500 employees and government employers to provide paid sick leave and paid...more
On March 12, Governor Pritzker announced that his administration will file emergency rules clarifying that individuals unemployed due to COVID-19 will be generally qualified for unemployment benefits to the full extent...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Rule ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Unemployment Benefits
OSHA has released “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19,” a 32-page booklet describing “lower exposure,” “medium exposure,” and “high or very high exposure” risk occupations and what precautions employers can take...more
3/12/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a news alert yesterday addressing the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act on employers’ responses to a potential...more
3/5/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On February 13, 2020, we reported on recent guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for businesses to plan and protect their workplaces...more
2/28/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Business Travel ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Doing Business ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sick Leave ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety
Both the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have published interim guidance for employers on planning for and protecting their workplaces from exposure...more
2/28/2020
/ Airlines ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Business Travel ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Clinical Laboratories ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety