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…
Sexual harassment is despicable, demeaning behavior with no place in any job, and it must be taken seriously in order to be eliminated as a threat to employees. Sadly, employers do not always see it that way and often times supervisors abuse their authority and perpetrate these types of acts themselves, which makes exposing it all the more difficult for the…
As a matter of public policy, state and federal governments encourage individuals with intimate knowledge of fraud, waste, and abuse of governmental programs to step forward and report the wrongdoing. Under federal laws like the False Claims Act, these whistleblowers may be entitled to a portion of money recovered if the case is successfully prosecuted. Despite being able to file many…
If you or a family member should ever be struck by a serious illness or medical condition, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives you certain rights to take time off from work. Employees must meet certain conditions to be granted this type of leave, but if they do meet these conditions, they are eligible to return to work at an…