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HSHS ST. ELIZABETH’S HOSPITAL HONORS COLLEAGUE WITH QUARTERLY NATIONAL DAISY

HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital presented the quarterly National DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Logan Blankenship, RN, in the medical surgical unit. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s nationwide program to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.

Logan Blankenship was nominated by charge nurse, Matt Hill, for taking quick action to assist another colleague with a patient in distress in another area. Her attention to the alert message resulted in a full call to the rapid response team. They, along with Logan, were able to stabilize the patient and get them to the ICU.

Distribution of the nationally recognized DAISY Award at St. Elizabeth’s is made possible through funds provided by HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Foundation.

In addition to Blankenship, nominations were received for over 30 other dedicated St. Elizabeth’s nurses for this quarter. Nominations for future DAISY and other awards at St. Elizabeth’s continue to be accepted. Patients and visitors are encouraged to share and submit their story of witnessing excellent and compassionate care from staff. Award descriptions and online form can be found at hshs.org/StElizabeths/Patients-Guests/Recognize-a-Colleague.

Employment Law 2022 Recap And 2023 Forecast For Illinois

It was a busy year in Illinois with respect to new legislation and amendments to laws affecting employee rights and employer obligations. Here’s a recap of a few of the important developments to know about in 2023.

Family Bereavement Leave Act

The Child Bereavement Leave Act is now the Family Bereavement Leave Act and expands the circumstances under which an employee can take bereavement leave. Now, an employee may use up to 10 workdays to attend the funeral, or alternative to a funeral, of a covered family member, to make arrangements necessitated by the death of a covered family member or to grieve the death of a covered family member. Covered family members include children, stepchildren, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, parents, parents-in-law, grandchildren, and grandparents and stepparents.

Bereavement leave may also be used for a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, an unsuccessful round of in vitro fertilization or a failed assisted reproductive technology procedure, a failed adoption match or an adoption that is not finalized because it is contested by another party, a failed surrogacy agreement, a diagnosis that negatively impacts pregnancy or fertility, or stillbirth. Employers that require reasonable documentation must use the form provided by the Illinois Department of Labor, and they cannot require employees to identify which category of event the leave fits.

Crown Act

The Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act amends the definition of “race” under the Illinois Human Rights Act. Specifically, the amendment identifies that unlawful discrimination on the basis of race includes discrimination on the basis of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.

One Day Rest in Seven Act and Meal Breaks

On May 13, 2022, the One Day Rest in Seven Act was amended to require that employers give non-exempt employees 24 hours of rest in each consecutive seven-day period beginning January 1, 2023. Yet, while the Illinois Administrative Code provides that employees can voluntarily agree to work on the seventh day of the week, we recommend that the voluntary agreement to work the seventh day be clearly documented and signed by the employee. Employers can also request permits from the Illinois Department of Labor authorizing the employer to require employees to work on designated days of rest based on business necessity and economic viability.

The amendments also affect meal break requirements. Currently, employers must provide non-exempt employees who work a 7.5-hour shift with a 20-minute meal break that occurs no later than five hours after the start of the shift. Beginning January 1, employers must provide another 20-minute meal break for each additional 4.5-hour period an employee works. In other words, an employee must be scheduled to work 15 hours to be eligible for a second meal period.

The amendment increased penalties for violations up to $500 per offense for employers with 25 or more employees, and damages must be paid to affected employees with that same dollar amount ceiling per offense. Employees must bring any claims with the Illinois Department of Labor; they do not have a right to make a claim of a violation in court.

Finally, employers must also display the “Your Rights Under Illinois Employment Laws” poster with these amendments at the start of the new year.

Pay Data Reporting

Beginning January 1, 2023, private employers with 100 or more employees must comply with specific pay data reporting requirements. Specifically, employers must submit a statement of equal pay compliance, their EEO-1, a list of employees with their total wages, and a $150 application fee to the Illinois Department of Labor. Employers must obtain an equal pay registration certificate by March 24, 2024.

According to IDOL, each covered business will receive no less than 120 days’ advance notice of their deadline. Because the IL DOL is randomly selecting covered businesses to which it sends notices, some may not receive their notice of their assigned registration date until late 2023 to meet the final deadline in March 2024. Any employer that is a covered business should register with IL DOL by providing the contact information of key personnel members to ensure that future notices are received.

Edward S. Bott, Jr. O’Fallon, IL

John H. Chassaing O’Fallon, IL

Thomas F. Hennessy, III

Swansea, IL

Paul E. Petruska

O’Fallon, IL

Garrett C. Reuter, Jr.

O’Fallon, IL

William A. Schmitt

Waterloo, IL

Donald K. Schoemaker

Shiloh, IL

Kurt S. Schroeder

Shiloh, IL

Russell K. Scott

Belleville, IL

L. Kevin Vick

Belleville, IL

Donald E. Weihl

Belleville, IL

David W. Ybarra

O’Fallon, IL