March 16, 2020 | Client Alert
The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, on Saturday. The Act provides employees affected by coronavirus with paid sick leave and paid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits. The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Trump.CDC Guidance for Employers for the Coronavirus
February 26, 2020 | Client Alert
The CDC published guidance for employers for planning and responding to COVID-19. Since developments concerning the virus are fluid, HR Professionals should check the CDC’s website daily for updates.Good News! EEOC Charges Decline in Illinois.
February 26, 2020 | Client Alert
EEOC charges filed in Illinois and nationally are declining. Illinois saw 6,098 EEOC charges filed in 2011. That number has declined steadily since 2016 to a record low of 3,928 charges in Fiscal Year 2019. Illinois is not an outlier. EEOC charges have materially declined at the national level as well.The IDHR Is Now Providing Links to Free Sexual Harassment Training.
February 7, 2020 | Client Alert
The Illinois Department of Human Rights timely published the curriculum for mandatory sexual harassment training in Illinois which is being disseminated through Eventbrite. The IDHR training is free using this platform. Illinois employers are not required to use any one particular training platform to comply with the law.Enforcement of Child Labor Laws is a Lower Priority in Illinois
February 7, 2020 | Client Alert
We wrote in May that the top issue for many Illinois employers is the state’s labor shortage. As of February 2020, it is still the case. The labor shortage is producing many salutary results. More and more employers are… Read More
2020 Law Changes That May Impact Your Estate Plan
February 7, 2020 | Client Alert
With the start of 2020, two new laws took effect that will significantly impact estate planning in Illinois. The new Illinois Trust Code updates and substantially changes the older law that has governed trusts and trustees in Illinois since 1973;… Read More
A Simpler Joint Employment Doctrine
January 20, 2020 | Client Alert
The legal doctrine of joint employment bedevils many employers. Reduced to its essence, joint employment means that an employee can look to two different employers for liability purposes if that employee’s legal rights are violated. For example, if a manufacturing… Read More
Violating the FMLA when No FMLA Leave was Requested: A Cautionary Tale
November 21, 2019 | Client Alert
Violating the FMLA can be very expensive. In a recent decision dated November 12, 2019, Valdivia v. Township High School District 214 the defendant school district was hit with a verdict that will cost it more than $225,000 even… Read More
Illinois Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act Protects a New Generation of Job Applicants
November 21, 2019 | Client Alert
The Illinois legislature passed the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act in August 2019. At present, the Act is only four paragraphs long with the first paragraph being its name. Its protections will grow over time. This legislation continues a… Read More
Saliva Instead of Urine for Drug Testing?
November 1, 2019 | Client Alert
More employers will drug test their employees as an unintended consequence of the legalization of recreational marijuana. Recently, the federal government posted guidelines for federal employers who use “oral fluid specimens.” Illinois employers should consider testing “oral fluid specimens”… Read More