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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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Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy Lives On

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  Crowds gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to hear remarks from President Obama along with other, prominent figures such as Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey.  People from around the country …

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Show Your Support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act!

I just wanted to drop a quick line to say how excited we are that ENDA has been passed out of committee by an overwhelming majority (15 to 7, including at least two Republican supporters).  ENDA is short-hand for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act which aims to make discrimination on the basis of LGBT status unlawful.

Now …

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Defense of Marriage Act:Implications for Gay Spouses under the Family Medical Leave Act

Last Wednesday, June 26, 2013, in the landmark 5-4 decision of United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) as unconstitutional.  Signed into law in September 1996, DOMA defined marriage as …

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Bad Day for Employees: Supreme Court Applies But For Causation Standard to Title VII Retaliation

This is just a quick update on an important case we mentioned early this year and that we suggested was one to follow.  In University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Naiel Nassar, the Supreme Court of the United States considered whether an employee alleging retaliation …

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Employment Noncompete Agreement Act under Consideration in the Illinois General Assembly

Non-compete agreements are mechanisms used by employers to limit an employee’s ability to work for a competitor for a period of time after the employment relationship terminates.  Employees typically sign these agreements as a condition of hire.  Employers are increasingly relying on non-competes to protect any competitive advantage they may …

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States Passing Preemptive Bills to Prevent Passage of Paid Sick Leave Laws

I am consistently surprised by the number of people I speak with (friends, family members, and clients alike) who simply assume that employers are obligated to provide employees with paid sick leave.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by this.  For those who have been lucky enough to work …

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Plaintiffs in Unsuccessful Class Action Pursue Individual Claims

After seeing their nation-wide gender discrimination class action dismissed by the Supreme Court of the United States, the Wal-Mart Plaintiffs did not just throw up their hands and concede defeat.  Instead, they’ve decided that if the highest court will not allow them to proceed as one large nation-wide class, that they will simply have to enforce their …

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Voluntary Classification Settlement Program Aims to Resolve Employee Misclassification as Independent Contractors

The IRS has recently implemented a program called the “Voluntary Classification Settlement Program” (“VCSP”).  The program allows eligible employers to pay a small sum in order to obtain partial relief from federal employment taxes for previous mis-characterizations of workers as “independent contractors” when such individuals should have received classification …

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Add Your Voice to the Call to End Unemployment Discrimination in Illinois

As appalling as it may be, a shocking number of employers these days are publishing job listings with the caveat that the unemployed need not apply.  This unemployment discrimination is so backwards and plain old wrong that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around it.  We are …

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