Protecting Employers Since 1985

No Local “Right to Work”

By Walter J. Liszka / April 8, 2019

As of Wednesday, April 3, 2019, the Illinois House gave final passage to a bill that has already cleared the Illinois Senate that would clearly establish that only State Government, not Local Government (i.e, city, village, municipality, etcetera), would have the exclusive authority to enact laws governing what are known as Union Security Agreements. These…

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Illinois Legislature Fast-Tracks Minimum Wage

By Walter J. Liszka / February 20, 2019

Certainly the beginning of the Legislative Session in the State of Illinois during calendar 2019 is attempting to move quickly on the campaign promises of J.B. Pritzker. As everyone will recall, the recently elected Governor’s campaign pledge to increase the state’s minimum wage has been fast-tracked with the passing, by the Illinois Senate of the…

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Limitation On Age Discrimination Claim

By Walter J. Liszka / February 7, 2019

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh (7th) Circuit (applicable to the State of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) issued a far-reaching decision on the basis of an 8 to 4 decision (all twelve justices of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Hearing and Ruling on the case) establishing that job applicants may…

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Illinois Health Care Violence Prevention Act

By Walter J. Liszka / January 24, 2019

Illinois is joining a growing number of States (e.g. California; Connecticut; Minnesota; New Jersey, and New York) in enacting specific legislation designated to address workplace violence in the Healthcare Industry. Effective January 1, 2019, the Health Care Violence Prevention Act (210 ILCS 160/1, et seq.) has become effective in the State of Illinois and mandates…

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City of Chicago – Office for Labor Standards

By Walter J. Liszka / December 17, 2018

As of October 31, 2018, the Chicago City Council unanimously approved the formation of the Office for Labor Standards (OLS). The OLS has been created to provide more rigorous enforcement of the City of Chicago Employment Ordinances and to promote investigation into alleged violations. This Law will come into effect as of January 1, 2019.…

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Illinois Equal Pay Act

By Walter J. Liszka / December 14, 2018

The Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate recently voted to override outgoing Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of proposed changes to the Illinois Equal Pay Act. This means that Employers in the State of Illinois, effective January 1, 2019, will be required to comply with a new set of Pay Equity obligations. The original…

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The Holidays Are A’Comin

By Walter J. Liszka / December 6, 2018

Over the past few years, the author has written a “Holiday Article” to provide some guidance/legal insight into the somewhat complicated “Business Holiday Party”. I have received numerous suggestions and/or recommendations (and some good natured kidding), but I am not deterred! It is never too early to begin planning for the Holiday Season of Calendar…

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“Every Chicken Comes Home to Roost”

By Walter J. Liszka / November 30, 2018

While the above title is really the restatement of a very old Farmer’s Almanac comment, it has particular application for what is taking place with regard to Multi-Employer Pension Plans throughout the United States. An analysis of the Multi-Employer Pension Plan Funding Crisis that was released on or about November 1, 2018 by the Actuarial…

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Purchaser Beware

By Walter J. Liszka / October 22, 2018

If you are acquiring a Company through purchase and you are not paying close attention to potential Labor issues, you could be creating serious and risky problems for the future. It is extremely important to understand that liability in the context of Labor and Employment related issues are governed by Contract and Common Law Successorship…

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Voting Regulations

By Walter J. Liszka / October 17, 2018

With the hotly contested Mid-Term Elections that are coming up on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, all Employers in the State of Illinois should be aware of their obligations with regard to their employees, both with regard to actual voting and with regard to their employees serving as an Election Judge or Precinct Official. TIME OFF…

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