In January of this year, the Illinois legislature enacted a number of new or amended acts that will change Illinois employment law. First, the One Day Rest in Seven Act (“ODRISA”) has been amended to revise employees’ mandatory rest and to revise employe meal periods. Second, the Family Bereavement Leave Act (“FBLA”) has been updated. Finally, there has been updates to the Illinois Minimum Wage.
The ODRISA Amendment covers when employers need to provide mandatory rest as well as employee meal periods. The amendment states that an employee must receive “at least twenty-four consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period.” Importantly, there are some exemptions, particularly, employees “whose work hours, days of work, and rest periods are established through the collective bargaining process.” As to the meal period, the amendment allows for employees that work twelve consecutive hours to receive two twenty-minute meal periods.
Next, the FBLA has been amended to provide for all bereavement periods. Previously the Act had only provided for a bereavement period for the mourning of a child. Now, employers must provide a maximum of 2 weeks of unpaid bereavement leave over any twelve-month period. Employees must give 48-hours’ notice of the bereavement request as well as supporting documentation if requested by the employer. Finally, the Illinois minimum wage has now been raised from $12.00 to $13.00 per hour as of January 1, 2023. The Illinois Department of Labor has created two new posters displaying the increase in minimum wage as well as the meal and rest period updates.
