No Right-To-Work Laws by Local Governments
This April, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that prevents local governments from enacting laws that weaken the power of labor unions, also referred to as “right-to-work” laws. The bill is known as the Collective Bargaining Freedom Act (“CBFA”), which Pritzker stated was designed to prevent right-to-work laws from cutting employee benefits, lowering wages,
Succession Planning for Business Owners
While running the day-to-day operations of a company can be time consuming, it is important for business owners to take the time to assess the organization’s future as well. Succession planning is essential for the continuity of a business for when an owner or key employee retires, becomes disabled, passes away or simply leaves the
Discrimination Bill Would Affect Small Businesses
House Bill 252 is a recent attempt to expand the Illinois Human Rights Act to encompass employees that work at small business with less than 15 employees. Currently, small business employees do not have any course of action against employers for discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, and age, although these employees can bring
Illinois 22-Year Rent Control Ban Faces Revocation
Recent advisory referendums suggest that the 22-Year Rent Control Ban in Illinois may be repealed in the near future. Three advisory referendums throughout the state overwhelmingly voted that Springfield should remove its law preventing rent control, which would allow local governments or the state to regulate the amounts charged for rented housing. Illinois is not
Chicago Hotel Owners Face Looming Tax Increases, Surplus in Downtown Hotels
More than 2,000 new hotel rooms are expected to open in downtown Chicago in 2019 as tourism in the city reaches an all-time high. The additional 2,000 rooms increase the total number of hotel rooms downtown to 47,000, adding more competition in an already competitive market. The seven-year uptick in hotel construction has recently led
Federal Overtime Regulations May Change Soon
The U.S. Department of Labor recently released its proposed changes to federal overtime regulations. The new plan would allow employees making less than $35,308 a year to be automatically eligible for overtime pay. The employee would earn one and half times their regular pay for any time worked over 40 hours per week. The Department
Trucking Industry: Independent Contractors & Arbitration Agreements
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in New Prime v. Oliveira provides a cautionary tale for interstate business owners, particularly in the trucking industry. In New Prime, the Supreme Court determined that trucking companies cannot block truck drivers from seeking redress in court for the companies’ alleged illegal activity solely by classifying drivers as “independent
Enforceability of Non-Compete Agreements Narrowed by Illinois Courts
As a business owner, employers have an interest in protecting valuable customer relationships and trade secrets by requiring potential employees to sign non-compete covenants. Non-compete covenants are common, particularly for high-paying employees and within specific professions or fields. However, recent revisions in state and federal law continue to narrow the scope of private employers’ ability
Extra Services Required from Companies with Government Contracts
A recently proposed Illinois law would require companies contracted by the government to provide special software services used to verify that hours billed are “legitimate.” Senate Bill 1326 states that any contract in excess of $100,000 between a contractor and governmental entity, will require all billed hours of work performed on a computer to be
Shadow Space Creates Risk for Downtown Landlords
As downtown Chicago sees a steady growth of massive new office buildings, Chicago landlords risk potentially damaging vacancies in their existing buildings. Many current downtown tenants are making the move to state-of-the-art office buildings that are currently under construction or have recently come online. For example, Bank of America will vacate more than 800,000 square