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
Real World Impact: The newly enacted Illinois Freedom of Speech Act prohibits employers in Illinois from requiring employees to participate in employer-sponsored meetings if the meeting is designed to communicate an...more
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
Real World Impact: Based on a recent amendment to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act (the Act) sent to Governor JB Pritzker for signature on June 20, 2024, it would appear that the answer to this question...more
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
Executive Summary: Illinois employers should be aware that they will likely be subject to liability under amendments to the Illinois Gender Violence Act (GVA) proposed by recent legislation. HB1363 is one of a number of bills...more
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
The City of Chicago amended its sexual harassment Ordinance on April 27, 2022. Chicago employers should take note of the following significant changes to the law that took effect on July 1, 2022. The amended Ordinance imposes...more
On April 9, 2022, the Illinois Senate passed House Amendment 1 to SB 3616, joining the Illinois House, in unanimously passing legislation referred to as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act....more
4/12/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Illinois ,
Labor Reform ,
Pending Legislation ,
Race Discrimination ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws
It’s no secret that Illinois courts have historically been less than friendly to restrictive covenants, and non-compete agreements in particular. On August 13, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Public Act 102-0358,...more
8/26/2021
/ Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Freedom To Work Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws
Work Authorization Status -
On August 2, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Public Act 102-0233, which adds work authorization status to the list of protected classifications in Illinois. Effective immediately,...more
8/20/2021
/ Citizenship Status Discrimination ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Rights ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pending Legislation ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Public Acts ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws
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 of January 1, 2020, all Illinois employers are required to provide sexual harassment training to all employees on an annual basis. The initial deadline for compliance is December 31, 2020. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic,...more
12/21/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
More than four months after the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act (WTA) went into effect, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) has now uploaded onto its website the “model” sexual harassment training required...more
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 an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, on March 25, 2020 Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 20-20 directing Minnesotans to stay at home and limit outside movement beyond essential needs....more
On August 9, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker enacted sweeping changes to the landscape of employment law in Illinois. See Public Act 101-0221, http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/101/101-0221.htm. Among other...more
8/15/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Casinos ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Harassment ,
Hotels ,
Human Rights Act ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Transparency ,
Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA)
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