Many employment laws and regulations are designed to ensure employers don’t take advantage of their employees. Some of those laws include when and how your employer should pay its employees. In Illinois, an employer must pay an employee by check or in the discretion of the employee by direct deposit or a debit card (subject to very strict guidelines). […]
Wage Theft: A Common Workplace Issue
Wage theft is a common workplace issue that is increasingly becoming a problem for employees all over the country. Wage theft may occur when an employee does not receive all of their wages or any wages at all. Recognizing Wage Theft Not paying employees correctly maybe a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA establishes a Federal […]
What Does a Trump Administration Mean in Employment Law
On January 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. While the new administration’s policies are unclear on a wide range of issues, his comments during the campaign provide some hints on positions he will take with regard to labor and employment law. At the outset, we can assume that they […]
A New Year Brings New Employment Laws For Illinois
On January 1, 2017 a number of new laws went into effect in Illinois. Whether you are an employer or an employee, here are some employment laws you should know: Social Media Password Protections House Bill 4999 makes it illegal for an employer, or potential employer, to ask you to sign into your social media account […]
What You Need To Know About The Illinois Sick Pay Leave Act
On January 1, 2017, a new sick pay law will come into effect for employees in the state of Illinois. While it is called the Illinois Sick Pay Leave Act, it does not actually require employers to provide sick leave (starting in July, most Chicago employers must provide sick leave as well as Cook County Employers). The […]
Federal Overtime Law Blocked
December 1, 2016 was supposed to be the day that about 4 million Americans were set to qualify for overtime pay under a new federal rule by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new overtime law would have doubled the annual salary threshold from $23,660, to $47,476, which determines who qualifies for overtime pay when they work over […]
The New Overtime Law: How It Will Affect You
Effective December 1, 2016, the Department of Labor is enacting a new overtime law in which the Fair Labor Standards Act is being changed, allowing the threshold annual income below which overtime pay is required (assuming all other requirements for overtime pay are satisfied) to rise to $47,500, compared to $23,660, which was the amount […]
10 Ways a Small Business Can Control Unemployment Insurance
As we outlined in a previous blog post Employer Basics: Unemployment Insurance in Illinois, an established employer must pay a percentage of each employee’s wages, up to an annual base of $12,690, into the State’s Unemployment Fund and that percentage can range from 0.55% to 7.75%. This difference can be significant, a multiple of more than 14 times, […]
Employee Misclassifications: What You Should Know
On October 19, 2016, we posted a blog about the Chicago Minimum Wage law which became effective July 1, 2015, with an hourly wage of $10.00, increased to $10.50 July 1, 2016, and continues to increase incrementally each year into the future. The Chicago law also imposes very substantial penalties on employers who violate it, […]
Chicago Wage Ordinance – Employees May Recover 3x their Unpaid Wages
The Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance was adopted at the end of 2014 to much fan fare because it raises the minimum wage requirements for all employees within the City of Chicago. The current rate schedule for minimum wage in Chicago is as follows: Effective Date Non-Tipped Employees Tipped Employees July 1, 2015 $10.00 $4.95 July 1, 2016 […]