Christopher (Chris) Lepore Counsel

In welcome news for employers, the Chicago City Council passed an amendment to the new Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance, which will delay implementation of paid leave requirements from December 31, 2023, to July 1, 2024.

The City of Chicago approved the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance on November 9, 2023, providing all employees working in the city with up to five annual days of paid leave that can be used for any purpose and five annual days of paid sick leave that can be used for specified purposes.

The recently enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to “qualified” employees or candidates with a known limitation related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, absent an “undue hardship.”

Colorado’s noncompete statute has long voided covenants not to compete unless certain exceptions are met. Starting on August 10, 2022, an amendment to that law will substantially narrow the list of permissible exceptions.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 3120 into law on June 9, 2022. The law significantly amends the state’s Child Bereavement Leave Act, now named the Family Bereavement Leave Act. The FBLA expands leave to cover the bereavement of an employee’s family member, as well as certain pregnancy, fertility, and adoption-related events such as miscarriages, stillbirths, failed IVF procedures, and failed adoption agreements. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2023.

A half-day, virtual employment law workshop, which covered a variety of topics, including an update on seminal federal and state employment law developments including in the areas of wage-and-hour law and the gig economy, family and medical leave and accommodations, arbitration and confidentiality in employment agreements, and other trends employers should watch in 2022.