Protecting Employers Since 1985

Illinois Legislature Passes Paid Leave for All Workers Act Providing Annual Paid Leave Which May be Used for any Reason

By Jennifer Adams Murphy / January 13, 2023

On January 10, 2023, the Illinois Legislature passed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (the “Act”).  This Act is awaiting Governor Pritzker’s signing, but he has clearly indicated strong support of the Act and his intent to sign the Act into law.  This Act will not go into effect until January 1, 2024.  There…

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Election Day Voting Laws 2022

By Wessels Sherman / November 2, 2022

Someone said there are elections next Tuesday? Here are some helpful tips for employers to minimize election day disruptions Next Tuesday, November 8th is Election Day. Each state has voting laws that provide employees with time off work to vote. While generally the same, each state’s statute has its own nuances employers in those states…

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Labor Law Developments In 2020

By Walter J. Liszka / September 8, 2020

Both the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago have been very active in creating new Employment Law Employer Responsibilities in Calendar 2020: Model Training Program for Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention: The Illinois Department of Human Rights has released its Model Training Program for the prevention of Sexual Harassment. Under the Illinois Human Rights…

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Can an Illinois Employer have a ZERO TOLERANCE Policy for Marijuana (Cannabis)?

By Anthony J. Caruso Jr. / December 25, 2019

On December 4, 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation amending the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (Cannabis Act) commonly known as the Recreational Marijuana Law. The amendments seem to allow employers to test applicants or do random testing of employees for a positive result of marijuana and take action against such individuals on a “zero…

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Illinois Recreational Cannabis Law Is Raising Many Questions for Employers

By Joseph H. Laverty / November 18, 2019

Over the last month, nearly half the calls I receive are about Illinois’s new recreational cannabis law which takes effect on January 1, 2020. Employers have many questions about the new law. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions that I have received. QUESTION No. 1: When does the new law go into…

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Recreational Cannabis Law-Beware Of Pitfalls

By Walter J. Liszka / July 24, 2019

On May 31, 2019, the State of Illinois approved House Bill 1438 which created the “Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act”. This Bill was signed, with a lot of “fanfare and publicity,” by Governor Pritzker on June 24, 2019. The Act provides that, effective January 1, 2020, Illinois Residents who are 21 years of age or…

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Illinois Employer Alert: Two New Posters Required in the Workplace

By Anthony J. Caruso Jr. / December 18, 2018

It is time to put up two new posters in the workplace if you are an Illinois employer. ILLINOIS SERVICE MEMBER EMPLOYMENT AND REEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS ACT (ISERRA) On August 26, 2018, Governor Rauner signed into law the Illinois Service Member Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (ISERRA) which takes effect January 1, 2019. This new law…

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Workplace Accommodation – Nursing Mothers

By Walter J. Liszka / September 19, 2018

In 2001, specifically July 12, 2001, the State of Illinois put in place legislation dealing with Nursing Mothers in the Workplace (820 ILCS 260/1, et seq.). This legislation required Employers, who had six (6) or more employees, to allow nursing mothers “reasonable unpaid break time each day” to express breast milk for their infant children.…

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Don’t Have a Neutral Absenteeism Policy: Warning to Employers!

By Anthony J. Caruso Jr. / March 6, 2018

Some Illinois employers may have neutral absenteeism policies that “administratively terminate” any employee who has failed to return to work from a medical leave of absence after a stated period of time such as one year or some other period of time set by the company. This kind of policy is not advisable because it…

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Can My Employee Demand To See His Personnel File?!

By Nancy E. Joerg / February 15, 2018

It Depends On What State You Are In!! State laws set the rules governing employers’ legal obligations to allow employees and former employees, see their own personnel files. Therefore, employers should have a firm grasp on the legal rules for employee access to their own personnel files. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have…

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