As of January 1, 2025, Illinois now protects employees who provide family care from discrimination in the workplace. The law means that employees who have “family responsibilities” cannot be discriminated against because of said responsibilities. The law defines family responsibilities as “an employee’s actual or perceived provision of personal care to a family member.” Covered family members include an employee’s child, stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent. Examples of “personal care” could include, but is not limited to, taking a family member to the doctor, supporting their medical, hygiene, nutritional, or safety needs, and providing support to a family member suffering from a serious health condition.

This means that employees with family responsibilities are now protected from discrimination, harassment, and protection from retaliation if they allege discrimination on the basis of family responsibilities. 

The attorneys are Kennedy Hunt P.C. are experts in employment rights. You can read about the employment law cases we take on here. If you or someone you know has had their disability rights violated, the skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim. 

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According to the AP, the memo says the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will drop any complaints based on ‘disparate impact liability.’ Disparate impact is discrimination that occurs when a neutral or fair-seeming policy still harms a protected group, even without the intent to discriminate. 

There are many employment discrimination cases emerging because of the growing use of artificial intelligence in hiring, where the disparate impact concept can be applied.

The EEOC’s decision is in line with a previous executive order from President Trump to use the disparate impact concept less in civil rights enforcement because, in the president’s eyes, it creates an undue burden on businesses. But the decision threatens workers’ abilities to seek justice when they experience discrimination in the workplace. 

These cases are still viable, however, regardless of the Trump Administration’s stance against them. The attorneys at Kennedy Hunt P.C. are experts in employment and disability rights. You can read about the employment law cases we take on here. If you or someone you know has had their disability rights violated, the skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim. 

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“It always was a part of the thinking behind what kind of lawyer I wanted to be and what kind of cases the law firm and I should handle… how to do the greatest social good for the greatest number,” Kennedy says. “That’s where special education, Fair Housing, and employment law came from for me.”

Kennedy Hunt P.C. is a law firm focused on employment, education, and civil rights law. Above all, our skilled attorneys and team are dedicated to doing the most good, for the most people.  If you or someone you know has been a victim of discrimination, we may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.

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The full order can be read here. 

In April 2018, our client began working at Eclipse Advantage, LLC. as an Industrial Athlete. When he was hired, Eclipse told our client he would be paid weekly and based on “productivity” rather than at a set rate. Specifically, Eclipse told our client the more trucks he unloaded in less time, the more money he would make. 

Our client, as well as similarly situated workers (Putative Class Members), were not given a set work schedule and hours worked depended on a variety of factors, including how busy it was in any given week. Additionally, Eclipse paid Putative Class Members different rates for the same hours in the same position. 

The Putative Class Members were not properly compensated for hours worked and in general, did not receive overtime pay, even if they worked more than 40 hours during a work week. Eclipse Advantage, LLC. deducted time from the Putative Class Members’ shifts to prevent them from receiving overtime. Specifically, Eclipse deducted lunch breaks from each employee’s shift even though Putative Class Members were so busy they were unable to take a lunch break. 

The Court certified the Settlement Class as all Industrial Athletes who worked at Eclipse from April 14, 2017 through January 8, 2021, therefore the Class Members will receive financial benefits from the Settlement Fund. 

In January, our client was terminated from his job at Eclipse Advantage, LLC. after calling off work due to exhaustion and raising issues concerning his unfair pay.

The court’s certification of the settlement finds the Settlement Agreement is “fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interest of the Settlement Class Members.”

Kennedy Hunt, P.C. believes employees deserve fair pay and equitable working conditions. Our recent win grants our client and the Settlement Class Members relief and requires Eclipse to pay them through the Settlement Fund.    

For further information about this case, please contact attorney Sarah Jane Hunt at (314) 872-9041 or sarahjane@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has been a victim of unpaid wages and/or employment discrimination, our skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim. 

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Am I required to self-report COVID-19 exposure, symptoms, or diagnosis? 

This depends on ever-changing CDC and state and local guidance. It is likely that an employer can require you to report your COVID-19 status, but cannot share your health information with others. 

Can my employer require me to not come into the workplace due to COVID-19? 

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have a diagnosis, an employer can require you not to come into the workplace and request that you follow CDC guidance on quarantining. 

If I have to stay home because of COVID-19, will my employer still pay me? 

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which required certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19, expired on December 31, 2020. With that, employers are no longer required to provide employees with FFCRA leave, though they may do so voluntarily.

I don’t have COVID-19, but I am caring for someone who does and cannot go to work. What sick leave benefits am I entitled to? 

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, certain employers were required to provide expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. But the FFCRA expired at the end of 2020. Currently, employees are not entitled to any specified sick leave benefits related to COVID-19.  

Is my employer required to tell me if I have been exposed to COVID-19 at the workplace? 

Your employer should inform you if you have been exposed to COVID-19, but should not reveal others’ personal health information. 

If I feel like I’m in an unsafe position at work, what can I do? 

Under OSHA guidance, you should bring the unsafe condition(s) to the attention of your employer. Additionally, OSHA provides information on workplace standards related to COVID-19 and has an online portal to file safety and health complaints. 

What can I do if I speak out about my working conditions and my employer cuts my hours or terminates my employment? 

There are various laws and authorities that protect whistleblowers from retaliation, including OSHA and the National Labor Relations Act. If you believe you have unfairly experienced workplace retaliation Fill out our employment questionnaire  

If the business I work at is ordered closed, can my employer lay me off, put me on furlough, or terminate my employment? 

Unfortunately, yes. 

Am I eligible for COVID-19 unemployment benefits? How do I get them? 

• The Missouri Department of Labor outlines who is eligible for COVID-19 unemployment benefits and how to file for them. 
• In Illinois, the Department of Employment Security accepts unemployment claims here. The state also has a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for those denied of the state’s unemployment benefits. 

How much are unemployment benefits? 

Unemployment benefits vary state-by-state. 

• In early January 2021, both the Missouri Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Employment Security began processing $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation supplements. 
• In Missouri, weekly unemployment benefits can be up to $320. 
• In Illinois, weekly unemployment benefits can be up to $484. 

How long can I receive unemployment benefits? 

• In Missouri, unemployed workers can receive unemployment benefits for up to 33 weeks. For additional information about unemployment, visit Missouri Department of Labor’s FAQs. 
• In Illinois, unemployed workers can receive unemployment benefits for up to 39 weeks. More information about COVID-19 related unemployment issues can be found at Illinois Department of Employment Security FAQs. 

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