Labor & Employment Law Update

On June 30, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed HB 3351 into law, which amends the Illinois Power Agency Act (IPAA) to require certain projects under the Illinois Solar For All Program to be subject to the prevailing wage requirements of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA). Effective June 30, 2023, all workers performing work on such projects must be paid in accordance with the IPWA. Of course, all owners, developers and contractors must become intimately familiar with the IPWA mandates. Since such work has been historically not covered by the IPWA, there is likely a giant learning curve. The IPWA sets forth very detailed and nuanced requirements well beyond simply paying workers in accordance with the local area wide collective bargaining agreement.

The possible uses of artificial intelligence (AI) have received much coverage lately. Now the risks of using AI to assist in the hiring process are in the spotlight since the EEOC just settled its first suit alleging discrimination in hiring through the use of AI.

On Wednesday July 19, 2023, the Chicago City Council introduced legislation to eliminate the city’s “tip credit” over a two-year period (if passed), in an effort to raise the city’s current hourly minimum wage rate for tipped employees to equal the city’s hourly minimum wage rate for non-tipped employees.

On August 4, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 2862 into law amending Illinois’ Day and Temporary Labor Services Act. This game changing legislation passed by State Legislature affects Illinois’ Staffing Industry as a whole and ALL EMPLOYERS that utilize temporary labor in Illinois. For more information about this new legislation, see our previous blog on House Bill 2862.

An employee complains to human resources, “I am a hamster from Venus and filing unfair labor practice charge because the pay policy of paying bi-weekly is chilling my Section 7 rights!” No, this is not a bizarre scene out of a Monty Python movie but now the potential absurd reality in workplaces across the country. Reality, reasonableness…. who needs them? Not the Biden NLRB.

Illinois employers need to be aware of additional notice and distribution requirements under the recently-signed House Bill 3733 (the “Bill”), which will become effective January 1, 2024 – particularly staffing agencies and employers with remote workers and/or workers who do not regularly report to a specific jobsite.

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify the personal protective equipment (PPE) standard for the construction industry. In its press release, the Department argued that the current standard does not state clearly that PPE must fit each affected employee properly. The proposed change would clarify that PPE must fit each employee properly to protect them from occupational hazards. The Department went on to state that there have long been safety concerns regarding the failure of standard-sized PPE to protect physically smaller construction workers (especially women) properly.

Many states are prohibiting employers from entering into non-competes with their employees.  Read the full article to determine whether any of these new laws apply to you!

On August 1^st, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will publish the new Form I-9 for employers to use to confirm a new employee’s authorization to work in the United States. Employers are encouraged to begin using the new form on August 1^st for all new hires, but may use the current form (version 10/21/19) through October 31^st. Starting November 1, only the new Form I-9 may be used for newly hired employees and reverifications. The new Form I-9 will be a single page and will include a checkbox for employers to indicate they examined Form I-9 documentation remotely under a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-authorized alternative procedure (see further information below). USCIS is moving the Preparer/Translator Certification and the Reverification/Rehire sections to stand alone documents. Thus, if either of those situations apply, employers must complete a separate document and maintain it with the Form I-9.

Resurrecting a rule that it attempted—but failed—to implement years ago, the Department of Labor has announced a new rule that will require certain employers in high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information. The rule applies to establishments with 100 or more employees in certain high-hazard industries including construction, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, warehousing, and utilities.