Billhorn Law Firm – Offices in Chicago, IL and Denver, CO
As an employee, you certainly hope that your boss does not decide to cut your wages. However, as long as you are still being paid more than minimum wage, your employer often does have the legal ability to reduce your pay rate. Maybe you were hired at $30 an hour, for...
This past November, we discussed a change to Illinois’ Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, effective Jan. 1. The amended law addresses employers’ responsibilities to employees who need to take breaks to express milk for their children. For example, employers cannot...
Overtime pay in Illinois is typically paid at time and a half. This is fairly common across most states, although there are some states – such as California – that sometimes authorize double pay. The first important point to note is that Illinois uses the...
Some jobs expect you to wear a specific shirt, hat or gear to look “on brand,” but when they expect you to pay for it out of pocket, that’s when things get murky. Federal wage law puts clear limits on what your employer can charge you for, especially when it affects...
You decide that it is time to move on from your job. Perhaps you have been offered another position. You go to your boss and tell them that you are going to be leaving and that this will be your last week. To your surprise, your boss tells you that it is not possible....
Employment often comes with a degree of risk. Workers can suffer a variety of different injuries or even occupational illnesses because of their job responsibilities. Typically, people who work in high-risk sectors such as construction receive training to teach them...
If you’re working in Chicago without legal documentation, it’s easy to feel vulnerable. Without the necessary paperwork, like a green card, visa or Employment Authorization Document (EAD), does it mean your employer can pay you less, ignore overtime or subject you to...
Most employees who take maternity leave need to return to the workplace while they’re still breastfeeding. While both federal and state laws have been enacted in recent years to allow these new mothers the time and privacy they need to express milk while at work, not...
You may notice your day shifting into tasks that fall well outside what you were hired to do. The extra responsibility becomes harder to ignore when your paycheck never reflects it. When the workload grows faster than the pay, you want to know if the situation crosses...
Tip pooling itself is legal. Some bar and restaurant owners use a tip pool, asking the wait staff to combine their tips and split them up evenly rather than having each member of the wait staff take the tips that they specifically earned. This can help if the owner...
