Savine Employment Law Blog

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By: Savine Employment Law, Ltd.

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gary savine
irene savine

Latest from Savine Employment Law Blog

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It’s an exceedingly trying time for workplaces. As leadership tries to make rules and enforce standards during the onslaught of COVID-19, how can empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, play a role? Join Erich Kurschat, owner Harmony Insights LLC, and Gary Savine, founder, and principal attorney of Savine Employment Law, Ltd. online, Friday, April 24 at 12:00 p.m. CST for a meaningful, actionable conversation around compassionate expectations. Register by clicking here or visit Harmony Insights, LLC. The post Gary Savine To Speak On Empathy And Its Role In Enforcing Rules And Standards During …
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On April 1, 2020, the US Department of Labor DOL published a 124-page “Temporary Rule” providing much-needed guidance on the emergency leave law entitlements under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).  Importantly, the rule includes instructions on an important exemption that may help struggling small employers opt out of part of the law. Congress passed the FFCRA in March 2020 in part to help American workers cope with the economic disruption and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The FFCRA offers two types of paid leave: (A) up to 80 hours emergency sick leave; and (B) longer-term paid family…
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COVID-19 has created new federal emergency family and sick leave laws. As you may know, this past week President Trump signed into law new federal emergency sick and family leave requirements. The requirements go into effect 15 days from enactment. What your company should be doing right now:  Employers will want to examine current policies to determine what type of policy updates to consider and how to communicate these changes to their workforce. Short-term amendments to leave and paid-time-off policies will need to be considered. Also, examine the potential financial impact of the law and whether any anticipated workforce changes could be…
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Agency’s Action Changed Exemption Levels Recently, the US Department of Labor (DOL) published its final overtime rule, which changed exemption levels for white collar employees. You can find it in full on the DOL’s Website. The final rule became effective January 1, 2020, which gave employers very little time to review and adjust the pay of their exempt workforce to comply with the law. For those who may still be catching up, here’s what you need to know: 4 Key Takeaways From The New Overtime Rules The new rule increases the salary level for the white-collar exemptions (executive, administrative,…
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Providing a safe working environment includes managing pandemics, like Coronavirus. We woke up to a story on Marketplace © Morning Report (2/10/20) that explores how to address health in the workplace to help keep all employees informed and safe. You can listen here, the story starts in minute four of the report. We previously covered paid sick time and epidemics here, on our blog, be sure to take a look! Happy Monday! Never miss an update from Savine Employment Law, Ltd! Subscribe to our blog by clicking the feed icon next to our social icons. You must have…
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Review Paid Sick Time Laws’ “Public Health Emergency” Obligations Now Players of the game “Pandemic” know time is of the essence to defeat a global health emergency. The current outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019 n-CoV) is no game. Illinois employers still have time to dust off their strategies for complying with paid sick time laws, including special duties that trigger only during public health emergencies, but they must act quickly or possibly face a costly absenteeism crisis. Wait, what? I May Have to Provide Paid Sick Time Off to Workers Who Aren’t Sick? Yes, you read correctly: for some…
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Workplace Drug Testing Protections Added By 11th Hour Change to Illinois Cannabis Act On January 1, 2020, recreational cannabis use became legal in the State of Illinois. But as we previously reported here, Illinois’ new cannabis law raised questions about whether employers could continue workplace cannabis testing under circumstances previously taken for granted, including pre-employment and random testing. On December 4, 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Public Act 101-593 (The “Amendments”) in an apparent attempt to answer those questions and include certain new protections for workplace drug testing. Today’s post describes these amendments and identifies what employers…
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We’re pleased to share that Gary Savine, principal, Savine Employment Law, Ltd. was featured in the January, 2020 cover story of the Illinois Bar Journal on the topic of recreational cannabis. The article, “Ready or Not, Cannabis Is Here,” by Ed Finkel, covers the myriad of legal issues raised by the availability of legal, recreational cannabis. On the employment law side, Gary covered whether employers’ drug testing policies need to be changed, how employers might handle use of cannabis by employees outside the workplace, random and pre-employment drug testing, and his predictions for the future of employment litigation in this…
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As we polish off the last of the Thanksgiving turkey, we’re reminded that for some, particularly those suffering from holiday-triggered depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder, the holiday season can induce a psychological decline that leaves them unable to work. And as a recent federal appeals court ruling points out, this decline may trigger FMLA rights, even if the affected employee never specifically asks for leave. On November 12, 2019, in Valdivia v. Township High School District 214 the Seventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals in Chicago upheld a jury verdict against the district for its interference with administrative assistant Noemi…
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Recent Chicago News Story Highlights Problems of Going it Alone You did everything right when you left your last job: showed up on your last day, turned in your laptop and smart phone, had goodbye drinks with colleagues. And yet, you have unpaid wages. Maybe you didn’t get your last paycheck or maybe you didn’t receive all your overtime, accrued commissions or that bonus or severance payment promised to you. What should you do about it? The answer many quickly jump to is to simply go it alone by filing a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) or…
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Chain’s Decision Reminds Boards, Executives, Workplace Dating Fraught With Risk Like many HR staff, we’re pouring another cup of coffee while we Monday morning quarterback the weekend’s news from McDonald’s that the board ousted CEO Steve Easterbrook for conducting what is described in the press as a “consensual relationship” in the workplace. The board asked for Easterbrook’s resignation despite his success leading a turnaround after disappointing financial returns in 2015. McDonald’s Chief People Officer also left the company for undisclosed reasons. Why HR Struggles With Workplace Dating What difficulties does workplace dating impose on organizations and what are the particular…
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Appeals Court Finds Business Successors Can Inherit Employment Discrimination Liabilities Companies or individuals acquiring an existing business should determine if the seller faces potential civil rights violations and, if so, take this fact into account in the acquisition process. If a buyer overlooks these liabilities, they could inherit them, despite longstanding Illinois precedent against such “successor liability,” at least according to one appeals court. In People ex rel. Dep’t of Human Rights v. Oakridge Nursing & Rehab Ctr., the First District Appellate Court held that the general rule of successor corporate nonliability may not apply to Illinois Human Rights Act…
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Savvy Illinois Employers Will Plan Ahead for Landmark Rulings Today, the Supreme Court kicks off its new term with several employment cases, including cases on appeal from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals right here in Chicago. Illinois employers should keep tabs on these cases and anticipate how the Court’s rulings will add to a bevy of new compliance obligations going into effect in 2019-20, all discussed below. LGBT Rights Under Federal Law – Will They Catch Up To Illinois Law? The Justices will consider a trio of cases that ask whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition…
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Two New Laws Encourage Employers To Overlook Past Incarceration In his inaugural address, Governor Pritzker promised to expand “true justice in our criminal justice system” and advance “economic inclusion” for Illinoisans who have previously been incarcerated. Two new laws carry out this promise and build on the efforts of 2015’s “Ban the Box” law to make it easier for the estimated 42 percent of Illinois residents with criminal backgrounds to avoid automatic disqualification and to get jobs. Illinois’ “Ban the Box” law, also known as the “Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act” prevents certain employers or their agents from inquiring…
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Agency’s Action Adds To Heavy Slate Of New Employment Laws In 2020 This morning, September 24, 2019, the US Department of Labor (DOL) published its final overtime rule. You can find it in full on the DOL’s website. The final rule is effective January 1, 2020, giving employers about 100 days to review and adjust the pay of their exempt workforce to comply with the law. 4 Key Takeaways Of The New Rules The new rule increases the salary level for the white-collar exemptions (executive, administrative, and professional). New salary level for white collar exemptions will be $684 per…
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Agency’s Tactics For Battling The Gender Pay Gap Now Uncertain In a not-entirely surprising September 12, 2019 notice in the Federal Register, the EEOC announced that it plans on not renewing an Obama-era rule requiring employers to provide pay data as part of their annual employer information (EEO-1) report until after it assesses whether the two years’ worth of pay data a federal court ordered it to obtain under the rule is useful to its efforts to address gender pay gap. As we reported in March, the court decided in the case National Women’s Law Center v. OMB that…