Our Blog: Legislative Advocacy

Illinois Employees’ Social Media Privacy Protections Expand in the New Year

Company Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media pages have become the new norm. And having employees actively participate on those employer-created pages can be a very effective marketing platform.  Active social media pages help to broadcast the employer’s brand and showcase a strong community culture to prospective clients and …

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Illinois Passes Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Act

As Summer nears its close, we celebrate another advancement for Illinois employees.  Notably, on August 12, 2016, Illinois passed the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Act.  This new law gives employment rights to nannies, housekeepers, caretakers, and other domestic workers.  This Act comes just weeks after Illinois adopted the Child Bereavement Leave Act.  Hence, our home …

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City Task Force Recommends that Chicago Employers Adopt 5 Days of Paid Sick Leave Annually

Last February 2015, 82 percent of Chicago voters supported a non-binding city referendum to adopt paid sick leave for workers. After this, the City formed a task force, called the Working Families Task Force, consisting of 27 members representing business, government, and employee advocacy interests to …

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A Worker’s Guide to the Chicago Mayoral Run-Off

In anticipation of the upcoming mayoral runoff election, we thought we’d delve into where the candidates (Rahm Emanuel and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia) stand on issues facing Chicago workers.  Unfortunately, because they have such different political experience – with incumbent Emanuel coming largely from work in the federal government and challenger Garcia being more …

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Yesterday was International Women’s Day which was created to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.

Women in the United States have a lot of achievements to celebrate–certainly more so than many other countries.  That being said, the United States still has a ways to go with respect to women’s rights and that is most apparent in the employment …

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On January 1, 2015, the new Illinois Pregnancy Accommodation Act went into effect and gives Illinois employees a wealth of fantastic protections.

It’s an important law and a hard-fought victory for the groups, including Women Employed, who lobbied for its passage.  The Act, which amends the Illinois Human Rights Act, provides greater protections for pregnant women than the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act …

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The FAMILY Act Would Provide Paid Sick Leave for All Workers – Voice Your Support!

Many months ago, I posted about my shock and disappointment in learning that a number of states were passing legislation whose sole purpose was to prohibit future state-level legislation which would provide paid sick leave to employees.  Considering that cynical trend in state legislatures, I cannot …

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Add Your Signature to the Petition Supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act

As I sit in my office on the eve of Thanksgiving, I am reflecting on the many things I have to be thankful about professionally this year – not the least of which is the fact that I work for an employer that steadfastly encourages and supports working women and …

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Debate Ended on Employment Non-Discrimination Act; Time for a Vote!

On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 61-30 to end debate on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (a bill which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity) and bring it up for a vote.  The full Senate is expected to consider the bill today for the first time since …

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A Step in the Right Direction for Marriage Equality

With the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act passing the Illinois house today, Illinois is one step closer to marriage equality!  The House has been the biggest hurdle in the campaign for equal rights and now all that remains is for the Senate to agree with the House’s version of the bill …

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