Our Blog: Blog

Today, August 22, 2019 marks Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Why does such a day exist? It’s not just another day on the calendar to be lost among the litany of National Siblings Day, National Ice Cream Day or the like.  Black Women’s Equal Pay Day represents the number of days in 2019 that black women in America have had …

Read more ›

After two long years of planning, advocacy, and negotiations, Chicago City Council has passed the Fair Workweek Ordinance.  The Ordinance protects employees from last minute shift changes and gives low wage earners some predictability in their schedules and, as a result, some degree of financial stability.  This is a huge win for Chicago’s employees and we are excited to see …

Read more ›

We are excited to report that on July 6, 2019, Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer entered a judgment in favor of Case Law Firm client, Jessica Hernandez, and awarded her nearly $230,000 in damages stemming from her pregnancy discrimination claims against her former employer, the Katz Law Office.

To read more about the case and the Court’s decision to enter a judgment in …

Read more ›

Employees can be the first line of defense against workplace violence but only if they know what to look for and what to do about it.

On February 15 an employee at an Aurora, Illinois manufacturing plant walked into work believing he was going to be fired that day.  Those of us in the Chicagoland area know what happened after that–he …

Read more ›

Early indicators say yes.

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of serving as a moderator at the American Bar Association’s 2019 National Symposium of Technology in Labor and Employment Law.  I moderated a panel of three brilliant lawyers talking about Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.  And, as those of us in attendance learned, it’s a brave new world out there.

A picture …

Read more ›

Perhaps you saw the news this weekend that on the eve of launching her new book, Omarosa Manigault Newman (former White House political aide and reality-TV alum) has produced what she contends is a secret workplace recording of White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, firing her.  Just this morning Omarosa released another tape which appears to be President Trump …

Read more ›

The ADA turns 28 today.  

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law 28 years ago today by President George H.W. Bush.  (Remember when we used to have presidents who believed people with disabilities were worthy of respect and protection rather than ridicule?)

Since 1990 the Act has provided people with disabilities protections from discrimination at work and access …

Read more ›

The recent arbitration decision could backfire on employers.

The Supreme Court really stuck it to employees in their recent Epic Systems decision.  We’ve written about arbitration provisions in general here and why they can be bad for employees.   As if giving up your right to a jury trial wasn’t bad enough, arbitration agreements also sometimes contain class action waivers.  Employers …

Read more ›

Employees are often wrong about the FMLA.  

As employment lawyers we often talk with people (clients, friends and family alike) that think the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) does things for them that it doesn’t.  Employment lawyers on both sides of bar agree that the Act can be one of the most nuanced and confusing employment statutes out there.  …

Read more ›

After years of disappointing LGBT rights employment decisions things are looking up!

It’s been a good couple of weeks for LGBT rights in the workplace.

First, on February 26 the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals joined our own Seventh Circuit in holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace.  We’ve been watching this case for …

Read more ›