On March 15, 2023, the Chicago City Council overwhelmingly voted to approve an ordinance requiring labor peace agreements between workers and Chicago-funded nonprofit organizations providing critical public health and social...more
4/6/2023
/ City of Chicago ,
Contractors ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Illinois ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Health Service (PHS) ,
Social Services ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
Unions
In a decision applauded by citizens of the City of Chicago and its leadership, the Illinois Supreme Court found that a provision in the collective bargaining agreement between the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge No....more
6/26/2020
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Document Destruction ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Law Enforcement ,
Police ,
Police Brutality ,
Police Misconduct ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Policy ,
Public Records ,
Right To Know ,
State and Local Government ,
Transparency
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued an opinion regarding the validity of arbitration clauses in individual employment contracts. The decision, referred to here as “Epic Systems,” consolidated three separate cases-- Epic...more
5/22/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Epic Systems Corp v Lewis ,
Ernst & Young v Morris ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Murphy Oil v NLRB ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Savings Clause ,
SCOTUS
Harvey Weinstein. Bill O’Reilly. Kevin Spacey. The rapid pace of sexual harassment allegations against high-profile figures in recent weeks could make an observer think that sexual harassment is an issue confined to the...more
As we previously reported, in July 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided to hear an appeal of a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the legality of “fair share” fees for public...more
10/3/2017
/ Certiorari ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Fair Share Contribution ,
First Amendment ,
Friedrichs v CA Teachers Association ,
Janus v AFSCME ,
Opt-Outs ,
Public Employees ,
Public Sector Unions ,
SCOTUS ,
Unions
On May 5th, nearly a full year after it heard oral arguments in the case, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its decision in Matthews v. Chicago Transit Authority, et al., addressing the interplay between a public sector...more
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a "Fact Sheet” setting forth its position that denying an employee equal access to a common (i.e., multi-user) restroom corresponding to the employee's...more
As we previously reported, in July 2015, the United States Supreme Court decided to hear an appeal of a case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the legality of “fair share” fees for public...more
Late last week, in Jones et al v. Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago et al (“Jones”), the Illinois Supreme Court struck down Public Act 98-641, which aimed to shore up two ailing Chicago pension funds. ...more
On Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that pension reform legislation passed in 2013, commonly referred to as Senate Bill 1, violates the pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution. The Court upheld a...more
In 2012, Indiana enacted the “Indiana Right to Work Act”, prohibiting unions from requiring an individual, as a condition of employment, to 1) become or remain a member of a labor organization; 2) pay dues, fees, assessments,...more
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court issued its anxiously anticipated decision in Harris v. Quinn, a case brought by Illinois home health aides challenging the requirement in a collective bargaining agreement that they...more
It has long been recognized that public employees are not excluded from First Amendment protection, and for more than 40 years the courts have wrestled with balancing the free speech rights of a public employee against the...more
In a 3-1 decision in Chicago Mathematics & Science Academy Charter School, Inc. and Chicago Alliance of Charter Teachers & Staff, IFT, AFT, AFL-CIO, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asserted jurisdiction over a...more