On March 13, 2023, Illinois became only the third state to mandate paid time off for all workers in the state when it enacted the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. The act is effective January 1, 2024. Under the act, covered employers must provide employees with up to 40 hours of paid leave during […]
Chicago continues to be at the forefront of combatting sexual harassment in the workplace by further expanding the existing training requirements. Chicago employers have previously been required to provide annual sexual harassment training for employees and supervisors. However, recently, Chicago has increased these requirements by adding an additional hour of “bystander intervention” training. The Chicago […]
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) issued new rules last week regarding the statutory change to the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, which extends its protections to domestic workers. In a press release, the IDOL’s Acting Director Jane Flanagan was quoted saying, “The General Assembly has established that domestic workers deserve the same core labor protections […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a technical assistance document on March 14, detailing recommended best practices for employers managing workers with caregiver responsibilities. The guidance notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded stress for many Americas, especially those who care for older relatives, children, spouses, or individuals with disabilities. The guidance further […]
The U.S. Senate passed legislation on February 10, 2022, that prohibits employers from requiring arbitration with employees for certain disputes. The Ending Forced Arbitration Act, which President Biden is expected to sign, invalidates pre-dispute arbitration agreements that preclude a party from filing a lawsuit in court that relates to sexual assault or sexual harassment. Pre-dispute […]
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit granted the Biden administration’s request to dissolve the Fifth Circuit’s November 6 stay on the emergency Covid-19 “shot-or-test” rule. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the emergency temporary standard (ETS) on November 5, and it was immediately met by pushback. The ETS […]
On November 5, OSHA released its much-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), requiring employers with 100 or more employees to either implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy or a policy that requires a choice between vaccination and weekly testing (combined with wearing a mask while at work). For more information on the ETS, see our overview […]
The Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act (ESLA) was recently amended to give workers more flexibility to care for their loved ones. ESLA was enacted in 2017 and allows employees to use at least a portion of their personal sick-leave benefits available to them under certain existing employer policies to care for covered family members who […]
The Chicago City Council last week passed an ordinance providing more rights to employees who take time off from work to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Effective immediately, this ordinance allows Chicago employees and independent contractors to get vaccinated during their work hours, requires pay for hours taken to get vaccinated from employers that make vaccination […]
On Wednesday, President Biden detailed a plan that will allow small businesses to claim tax credits for giving paid time off to employees to get and recover from the COVID-19 vaccine. Employers with fewer than 500 employees are eligible for the tax credit, which will offset the cost of paid time off for each employee […]
Earlier this week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law SB1480, which amended the Illinois Human Rights Act (the Act) in a way that will significantly affect how employers deal with employee conviction records. What is Prohibited? Under the amended Act, which takes effect immediately, it is a “civil rights violation” for an employer to […]
