The past few weeks have seen a series of judicial ”Red Light, Green Light” games. On February 21, 2025, a U.S. District Court judge in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, et al. v. Donald J....more
On July 3, 2024, Non-Compete Agreementa federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction that stays the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) near-total ban on non-compete agreements for the named plaintiffs seeking to...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently published a final rule on independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Transportation and logistics companies using independent contractors for...more
Across the country, states are implementing pay transparency laws, which will impact the way employers advertise, pay and hire their employees. These laws are here to stay and if employers are not preparing for compliance...more
Happy holidays…Not really. On November 9, 2023, the Chicago City Council passed the Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance. The new ordinance creates a confusing set of requirements for employers to navigate....more
As talk of an economic slowdown persists, so have the number of layoff an- nouncements hitting the news. While the last quarter of 2022 saw the technology and financial sectors lay off thousands of workers, in 2023, this...more
Join us Wednesday, September 13 at noon for our Ninth Annual Labor & Employment Fall Seminar. This year’s event will be livestreamed from our Chicago office. Our attorneys will discuss the latest employment law updates...more
8/2/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Best Practices ,
Bias ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Diversity ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Genetic Testing ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Transparency ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
Bias, and particularly unconscious bias, is tricky. It is present in the most well intentioned of individuals and can be challenging to identify and therefore manage. However, just because it is challenging to identify does...more
While incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into the corporate culture is not something that is new, it is something that has become increasingly important and complex. Activist consumers are leveraging their...more
A remote employee, Karlee Besse of Reach CPA, an accounting firm based in British Columbia, was terminated for theft of time, and then subsequently ordered to pay back approximately $2,750 to the firm for misrepresented wages...more
On August 16, 2022, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) attempt to increase the level of scrutiny given to sex discrimination cases under the Pregnancy...more
Join us on Wednesday, September 21 at noon for a live-stream of our Eighth Annual Labor & Employment Fall Seminar as we discuss hiring, onboarding and retention. Our attorneys will discuss everything from the initial...more
7/26/2022
/ Background Checks ,
Best Practices ,
Bonuses ,
Compensation ,
Diversity ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Interviews ,
Job Applicants ,
Job Offers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars
On June 15, 2022, the United States Supreme Court held that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) partially preempts a rule of California law that invalidates contractual waivers of the right to assert representative claims under...more
Research has proven that diverse teams drive better business performance, with the most diverse companies more likely than ever to outperform their less diverse peers. Diversity, inclusion and allyship are top of mind for...more
On March 25, 2020 the Department of Labor (DOL) released digital versions of the required notice of The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Under the FFCRA every covered employer (covered employers include most...more
On March 24, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) released the much anticipated FAQs regarding the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The DOL’s FAQs offer clarification on some of the more pressing questions that...more
With the ink barely dry on the president’s signature, employers are now turning to whether they need to and how to comply with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“Act”) (HR 6201). Since the law was signed by...more
As we previously reported, on March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Bill 6201 (HR6201). The legislation seeks to protect private sector workers and government employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
Presented by SmithAmundsen COVID-19 Task Force...more
3/17/2020
/ Continuing Legal Education ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
State Labor Laws ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
Presented by SmithAmundsen COVID-19 Task Force....more
3/16/2020
/ Continuing Legal Education ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
State Labor Laws ,
Webinars ,
Workplace Safety
MAJOR CHANGES TO ILLINOIS EMPLOYMENT LAWS: NEW MANDATORY SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING, REPORTING AND DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS ON EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS, & SEVERAL OTHER MANDATES....more
On August 24, 2018 Governor Rauner signed PA 100-1066 into law thereby amending the Illinois Human Rights Act which revamps, and sometimes streamlines, discrimination complaints on the state level. This legislation,...more
On June 27, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking decision in Janus v. AFSCME eliminating the public sector fair share requirement and thus changing the face of public sector labor. The Janus case,...more
In an unprecedented fashion, an arbitrator recently issued an award limiting the scope of Public Act 095-0490, otherwise known as the Substitutes Act. In doing so, the City of Mattoon successfully fought, through...more
In December of 2018, I was honored to be appointed to the Illinois Senate’s Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention. On December 14, 2018 the full Task Force had its first hearing in...more