Protecting Employers Since 1985

Warning: The DOL’s Salary Increase for Overtime Exempt is Still Alive and Well, and Going Up on January 1

By John D. Simmons / October 30, 2024

Earlier in the year, we were all abuzz about the Department of Labor’s changes to rules regarding salary requirements for classifying employees as overtime exempt. As of January 1, 2025, employees must be paid a salary of at least $58,656 to be exempt from overtime under any of the so-called white-collar exemptions (executive, administrative, or…

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Illinois Employers – Start Getting Ready for More Laws

By John D. Simmons / September 3, 2024

After the flurry of new laws and ordinances that bombarded Illinois employers in 2024, our clients had hoped for a respite to get their feet back under them. Unfortunately, 2025 is gearing up to continue changing the rules further. This article will highlight briefly some upcoming changes in the law that employers need to prepare…

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Frequently Asked Questions About Illinois Paid Leave

By John D. Simmons / July 31, 2024

Over the course of the year, we have received a number of questions from our clients about Illinois’ various new Paid Leave laws. In this article, we are going to present and address some of the most commonly asked questions we have been receiving. Q: We only have a few employees, are we exempt? No.…

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The Constantly Evolving Landscape of Illinois Paid Leave Requirements in July 2024

By John D. Simmons / June 28, 2024

We have now had several months to begin adjusting to the implementation of Illinois’ Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2024. On December 31, 2023, Cook County enacted its own companion ordinance, and on July 1, 2024 the City of Chicago will begin implementing its own alternative. The…

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Iowa Supreme Court Reverses Jury Award of $1.4M in Wage Discrimination Decision

By John D. Simmons / May 28, 2024

The Supreme Court of Iowa recently vacated a jury award of nearly 1.4 million dollars, an award that could have otherwise been tripled, finding that the plaintiff failed to properly prove her claims for either sex-based wage discrimination or retaliation. The lawsuit alleged sex discrimination in wages and went to a jury despite the defendant’s…

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Texas District Court Overrules NLRB Regulation on “Joint Employers”

By John D. Simmons / March 26, 2024

When an employee performs services for more than one entity, there’s often a question about which of those entities constitutes an “employer”. Since 2020, the analysis of this question has been guided by the question of whether both entities “share and codetermine the employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment.”  For a recipient of an…

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Eighth Circuit Dismisses Challenge to Iowa’s Mask-Mandate Ban in Public Schools

By John D. Simmons / March 1, 2024

On February 27, 2024, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an Order regarding Arc of Iowa, et. al., v. Reynolds, et. al. that reversed course on its prior decision that the plaintiffs were entitled to an injunction prohibiting enforcement of Iowa’s ban on mask-mandates in public schools. This case was originally brought by the…

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Illinois’s One Day Rest in Seven Act and Meal Breaks: What to Do When Employees Work Beyond their Scheduled Hours?

By John D. Simmons / December 22, 2023

On January 1, 2023, Illinois amended Its One Day Rest in Seven Act, or ODRISA, to increase worker protections both in work scheduling, and by updating required meal periods for employees who work a certain number of hours in a given day. You are no doubt aware that Section 3 of ODRISA requires that employees…

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