The Biden administration announced this week that it would mandate COVID-19 vaccinations (with exceptions for disabilities and sincerely held religious beliefs) for a staggering number of Americans. The latest mandate – covering federal workers, federal contractors, and healthcare workers at hospitals and other health institutions that participate in Medicare and Medicaid social programs – is […]
Chicago and Illinois employers should be aware of three recent changes affecting mandated sick leave benefits for employees. In April, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law an amendment to the Employee Sick Leave Act. The amendment, which took effect immediately, expanded coverage for employees. Additionally, as of July, Chicago’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance now includes […]
The CDC released new guidance last week in an effort to curb the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. With cases on the rise, predominantly from the Delta variant, the CDC now recommends that both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals wear a mask when indoors in public areas where there is “substantial or high transmission” […]
Last month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1480, which amended the Illinois Human Rights Act (read our article about the IHRA amendments here), the Illinois Equal Pay Act and the Business Corporation Act. Larger Employers Required to “Obtain Equal Pay Registration Certificate” by March 24, 2024 Private employers with more than 100 employees in […]
On January 21, 2021, President Biden issued an “Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety.” The Order, issued on the first full day of the new Biden Administration, was one of many directly addressing COVID-19. The Order stated that the federal government must take “swift action to reduce the risk that workers may contact […]
Agency updates religious discrimination for first time in over a decade The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has updated the section of its Compliance Manual on religious discrimination in the workplace. The updated section on religious discrimination was published in January 2021 after a short review period and a 3-2 vote along party lines by […]
With the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the President of the United States yesterday, we expect to see a different focus, new guidance and new laws. Some of the major changes that may be delivered in the Biden administration include: Renewed Focus on Misclassifications Recently, few areas of employment law have been debated so […]
Last week, Congress passed a $900 billion Appropriations Act. In addition to providing much-needed funding for vaccine distribution, direct payments to the vast majority of Americans, and a renewal of the popular Paycheck Protection Program, the act contains a number of changes that affect businesses and their employees. Paid Sick Leave Credits Extended A covered […]
Lodging establishments will need to provide training to certain employees on how to recognize the signs. As we wrote about in a previous HR Law Blog post, as of June 1, 2020, employees who have “recurring interactions with the public, including, but not limited to, an employee who works in a reception area, performs housekeeping […]
Federal civil rights law protects gay and transgender employees from discrimination, the U.S. Supreme Court declared June 15, 2020, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. In a 6-3 decision, the court resolved the question of whether discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity is deemed to be discrimination based on sex, and therefore covered […]
This week, the Department of Labor issued further clarification on the scope of FFCRA. Household Employees May Be Covered Household employees are covered employees under FFCRA if they are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As with the FLSA, the question is whether the employee is economically dependent on the household employer, or […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated its FAQ page on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), explaining how employers should calculate employee leave and addressing the confusion over what a “quarantine or isolation order” means for purposes of emergency paid sick leave. As we previously wrote, the DOL provides guidance via these […]
The CDC this week issued updated COVID-19 guidance for employers, supplementing its “Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” by adding to its cleaning and disinfecting guidelines, social distancing best practices, and strategies and recommendations to respond to the virus. As we previously wrote about, there are […]
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a series of additional Q&A on March 27, 2020, updating initial guidance for the recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which covers most employers with fewer than 500 employees. We anticipate the DOL will be issuing implementing regulations on the Response Act in the coming days. Who is […]
The Illinois Department of Employment Services adopted emergency rules for the COVID-19 crisis. The rules include: Qualification for benefits for those who are temporarily laid off An individual temporarily laid off can qualify for benefits as long as they were able and available for and actively seeking work. The individual would not have to register […]
UPDATE: The bill continues to go through amendments and we expect more changes in the coming day. Check here for latest update. This past weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” (Response Bill) to help address the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and help mitigate its economic effects. While the […]
In our blog post back in February, we urged employers to develop and implement a plan to address the impact of a pandemic in the workplace. Since last month, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has spread across 100 countries with over 120,000 total cases. In the United States, more than 1,000 cases have been reported – a statistic […]
Employment laws are often grouped based on numbers – number of employees, to be exact. Sometimes, however, you can group laws by industry. This year, a number of new laws will affect Illinois hotels. Lodging Services Human Trafficking Recognition Training Act Illinois lodging establishments will need to provide training to certain employees on how […]
3 … 2 … 1 … Happy New Year! It’s nearly 2020, and you may have read our previous blog posts about what that means for employers in Chicago, Illinois and the U.S. The Gould & Ratner Human Resources and Employment team is here to help as you transition your policies to be compliant in […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) yesterday announced its final rule on perks and benefits under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), defining what forms of payment are eligible for the time and one-half calculation when determining overtime rates. Under FLSA, covered, nonexempt workers must be paid overtime at no less than one and one-half […]
2020 is just weeks away, and Illinois’ new law allowing adults 21 and older to possess and purchase cannabis from licensed stores has the potential to substantially change employers’ current drug testing policies. Since Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law the Illinois Cannabis Act in June 2019, there has been much debate over the tension […]
