In week six, the Administration’s labor and employment activity includes a major roadblock to the $15 federal minimum wage increase, an extension of unemployment benefits by the DOL, and unexpected silence by the...more
3/1/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, SHRM published an article highlighting a new survey on office romances. Among the key findings of the survey: 34% of employees are or have been in a workplace romance, compared to 26% in...more
As previously reported, the Illinois Human Rights Act was amended to require employers to report adverse judgments and administrative rulings in cases involving sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination to the Illinois...more
On September 8, 2020, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down portions of a January 2020 Final Rule issued by the Department of Labor. The Final Rule provided a new test for...more
On July 2, 2020, the City of Chicago issued Public Health Order 2020-10, which requires persons entering the City of Chicago from certain states to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days. Additional details are included in a...more
7/7/2020
/ City of Chicago ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Exceptions ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Local Ordinance ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Quarantine ,
Traveling Employee
City Council approved an amendment to the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance to temporarily protect employers from lawsuits. Although the substantive requirements of the Ordinance will still go into effect on July 1, 2020 as...more
This week, the Chicago City Council approved an Ordinance ensuring that “Covered Employees” can remain at home for COVID-19 related reasons without fear of being fired, even if they have exhausted any legally-mandated or...more
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
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
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to develop, one question employers are beginning to ask is whether and when they are obligated to provide notices to employees under the federal and state WARN Acts. ...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 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
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
The risk of coronavirus may be lower than the flu, but with the numbers of cases and fatalities growing in China and a handful of cases in the United States, some are calling for schools, colleges, and universities to take...more
2/11/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Universities ,
Workplace Safety
In 2019, the Illinois General Assembly enacted, and Governor Pritzker signed into law, P.A. 101-0221, containing sweeping new measures to combat workplace harassment....more
2/5/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On November 5, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor published a proposed rule that would make it easier for some employers to apply the “Fluctuating Workweek” method of calculating overtime pay for certain non-exempt employees....more
11/5/2019
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fluctuating Workweek ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Labor Regulations ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rate of Pay ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its final rule concerning overtime exemptions. The rule increases the salary threshold for employees exempt under the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions (the...more
9/26/2019
/ Bonuses ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Minimum Salary ,
New Rules ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Obama Administration ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
City Council approved the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance by unanimous vote on July 24, 2019. This past May marked the third time such an ordinance was proposed in City Council, and the language ultimately approved by City...more
7/25/2019
/ 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
As the final segment in our series of alerts detailing key provisions of SB75, the anti-harassment legislation that is expected to be signed by Governor Pritzker, we review the new Sexual Harassment Victim Representation Act...more
This alert is the fifth installment in our series on SB75, the anti-harassment legislation awaiting approval by Governor Pritzker, applies specifically to public employers and amends the Illinois State Officials and Employees...more
6/21/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Ballot Measures ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Internal Controls ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Public Employers ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
This alert is the fourth installment in our series on Illinois’ new anti-harassment legislation, SB75, which is awaiting signature by Governor Pritzker. This alert focuses on new disclosure requirements under the law....more
6/21/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Ballot Measures ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hostile Environment ,
Human Rights Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
This alert is the third installment in our series on Illinois’ new anti-harassment legislation, SB75, which is awaiting signature by Governor Pritzker. This alert focuses on new training requirements for private-sector...more
6/21/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Ballot Measures ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Over the last few days, we’ve been sending you updates on the key provisions of SB75, the anti-harassment legislation awaiting approval by Governor Pritzker. Previously, we wrote about the Workplace Transparency Act. In this...more
6/14/2019
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Casino Employee ,
Casinos ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pending Legislation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
Workplace Safety
This is our first in a series of alerts detailing key provisions of SB75, the anti-harassment legislation awaiting approval by Governor Pritzker. In this alert, we focus on Article I of SB75, which creates a new law entitled...more
6/12/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Arbitration ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hostile Environment ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transparency Directive