Firm News

The fight between the Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office and the county headed before the Illinois Labor Board over allegations the Clerk’s Office committed various violations, including retaliation against an employee and bargaining in bad faith. The Illinois chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is headquartered in Springfield and represents over 58,000 public employees throughout the…

Enacted in 2003, the Illinois Equal Pay Act makes it illegal for any employer, public or private, to pay men and women unequal wages based purely on difference in gender. Male and female employees with equal job skills, responsibilities, and effort under similar working conditions must be paid comparable wages. While the original iteration of the law provided moderate penalties…

In a year filled with more robust protections and benefits to workers, Illinois has passed a new law, the Employee Sick Leave Act, which now allows employees more flexibility to use their accrued sick time. Starting January 01, 2017, any employer that provides paid sick time to their staff must allow employees to use the time to take care of sick family members.…

The state of Illinois has recently signed new legislation giving more rights to lower wage Illinois workers when they leave their jobs to seek employment elsewhere. On January 01, 2017, the Illinois Freedom to Work Act will go into effect, making non-compete clauses for low income workers illegal in the private sector. The language of the law explicitly states employers may not enter into a…

As part of a summer that has seen a dramatic expansion of workers’ rights throughout the state, Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed the Child Bereavement Act, which immediately expands the types of leave individuals can take under federal labor laws. Effective immediately, most workers in Illinois may take up to 10 non-paid days off from work to mourn the loss of…

Illinois will soon become the seventh state in the U.S. to adopt laws extending special protections to domestic workers like nannies, housekeepers, and home care givers. Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights which will take effect on January 1st, 2017 and amend four different state labor laws directed at domestic workers. The bill’s passage is a…

Starting December 1, 2016, employers may have to make big changes to how they pay their salaried employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Once the changes take effect, employees making less than $47,476 per year may be eligible to receive overtime pay. The impending changes mean many companies will have to make hard choices about how they compensate their workers to ensure compliance…

A Cook County judge recently handed down an important ruling on healthcare benefits for civil employees, particularly for those public employees hired after August 23, 1989. According to the ruling, only employees hired before the aforementioned date enjoy a state constitutional protection of their health care subsidy. The ruling is a mixed result for past and present city and county employees.…

The Will County Public Defender’s Office recently settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with a pair of employees alleging they were subject to inappropriate comments and passed over for promotions after bringing the allegations to light. One plaintiff also alleged she was harassed and discriminated against due to her pregnancy. The case began in 2014 when the plaintiffs first filed suit seeking damages…

A federal jury recently awarded four former employees of Allstate Insurance $27.1 million in a defamation and wrongful termination suit against their employer. The award constitutes the largest verdict ever handed down in an employment defamation lawsuit in Illinois history. Previously, the largest defamation award in Illinois was $18.6 million in a 2003 federal lawsuit. The plaintiffs worked in the equity division…