2017 Brings Three New Sick Leave Laws to Illinois

 Posted on January 16, 2017 in DuPage County Business Law Attorney

Changes to business laws are not a new thing, but employers are facing three major updates. Failure to comply with any of these new laws can result in serious consequences for employers, not the least of which may include litigation. Learn what they mean for your company, and how you can get ahead of them to protect your business with help from the following information.

Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

Set to take effect July 1, 2017, the Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (SLO) is an amendment to the original Minimum Wage Order. It requires that employers provide all of their employees with 40 hours of sick paid leave for 12 months of employment, that at least 20 of those hours be carried over to the next 12 months of employment if they are not used, and that an additional 40 hours be carried over to cover any leave that qualified under the Family Medical Leave Act. It applies to all Chicago employers with one or more covered employees (worked at least 80 hours within a 120-day employment period). However, employers do not have to grant this leave until their employees have been employed for at least 180 days.

Cook County Earned Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

The Cook County Earned Paid Sick Leave Ordinance is quite similar to the Chicago SLO: Employees must be permitted to earn up to 40 hours of sick leave over a 12 month work period, and they must be permitted to carry over at least 20 hours for the next 12 months, and 40 hours for the purpose of any qualifying FMLA time off. However, there are some differences between the two ordinances. For one, the provision extends beyond the city of Chicago and extends to all of Cook County, including unincorporated areas. Secondly, some businesses may be exempt from this particular law. Before assuming an exemption, it is critical that Cook County businesses speak with an experienced attorney about their situation.

Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act

The Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2017, covers the entire state of Illinois. It is different from the Cook County and Chicago SLOs in that it does not require employers to offer paid sick leave earnings. It does, however, expand the reasons that employees can take paid sick leave absences. They may take time off for the illness, injury, or medical treatment of a spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, father-in-law, or mother-in-law.

Prepare and Protect Your Company from Litigation

To avoid litigation, employers should ensure their policies and implementation of those policies are in compliance with the law. Stock, Carlson & Asso. LLC can work with you and your business work through the changes and transition. To learn more about our comprehensive services, call 630-665-2500 and schedule a consultation with our DuPage County business law attorneys today.

Sources:

https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2016/june/Allow-Workers-to-Earn-Sick-Days-to-Strengthen-Protections-for-Working-Chicagoans.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-cook-county-paid-sick-leave-1006-biz-20161005-story.html

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=099-0841