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…
A new federal overtime law signed into law by the president could potentially give millions of Americans a pay increase by raising the salary threshold for overtime exempt employees . The new overtime exemption law takes effect December 1st, 2016, and because of the law most hourly workers making less than $47,476 annually could be eligible for overtime pay under the Fair…
When joining a new company, employees often have the power to negotiate over their contract to produce an agreement more favorable to their economic interests, and one that is fair to both sides. Employees may be in a particularly good bargaining position if they are experts or highly skilled in a particular employment field. While navigating through the various clauses…
The Illinois Human Rights Act affords all state residents certain rights and protections from discrimination. Included in the act are provisions against employment discrimination for various protected classes. Employees who feel they have suffered discrimination may file claims with the Illinois Department of Human Rights to investigate claims and hold wrongdoers accountable. The list of protected classes under the Illinois…