Cook County Ordinance.
Cook County recently passed a new Earned Sick Leave Ordinance (ESLO) requiring employers to give workers paid sick time. Effective July 1, 2017 all businesses in Cook County will need to comply with this ordinance, with the exception of those located in the cities that have opted out of this ordinance*. While allowing employees paid sick leave is something we truly believe benefit businesses and employees alike, the ESLO is coupled with many rules and regulations that prove a nightmare to administer. All companies regardless of whether they currently offer sick leave or not, will have to comply with this ordinance.
As an HR partner to over 350 businesses in and around the Chicago area, we continually monitor legislation like the ESLO and strategize with our clients on ways to tackle these administrative issues before they become taxing to their business. Last week, we hosted a press conference with the Chicago Tribune and WGN in our offices where we and our business clients expressed our concerns for this new legislation. Many of our clients have contacted and urged their local municipalities to opt out of the ordinance. The Illinois state constitution has a narrow provision that allows municipalities to pass their own municipal ordinance or amendment to village code, which then means the businesses in that town will not have to adhere to the county law.
Tandem HR
If you currently operate a business in a town not on the “opt out” list below and would like to avoid the administrative burden that comes with complying with this ordinance, please contact your mayor or alderman today. If you have any questions on how this ordinance will impact your business or would like to discuss the advantages of having Tandem HR on your side in regards to proposed legislation and compliance, please contact Tandem HR at 630.928.0510 or marketing@tandemhr.com.
*The 82 municipalities that have opted out at the time of this blog post include:
- Alsip
- Arlington Heights
- Barrington
- Bartlett
- Bedford Park
- Bellwood
- Berkeley
- Bridgeview
- Brookfield
- Buffalo Grove
- Burbank
- Burr Ridge
- Calumet Park Village
- Chicago Heights
- Chicago Ridge
- Crestwood
- Des Plaines
- East Hazel Crest
- Elk Grove
- Elgin
- Elmwood Park
- Evergreen Park
- Forest Park
- Glenview
- Golf
- Hanover Park
- Harwood Heights
- Hickory Hill
- Hillside
- Hinsdale
- Hodgkins
- Hoffman Estates
- Homewood
- Inverness
- Justice
- La Grange Park
- Lansing
- Lemont
- Lincolnwood
- Lynwood
- Maywood
- Melrose Park
- Midlothian
- Morton Grove
- Mount Prospect
- Niles
- Norridge
- Northbrook
- Northlake
- North Riverside
- Oak Forest
- Oak Lawn
- Orland Hills
- Orland Park
- Palatine
- Palos Heights
- Palos Hills
- Palos Park
- Park Ridge
- Prospect Heights
- Richton Park
- River Forest
- River Grove
- Riverside
- Rolling Meadows
- Rosemont
- Schaumburg
- Schiller Park
- South Barrington
- South Chicago Heights
- South Holland
- Steger
- Stickney
- Streamwood
- Summit
- Thornton
- Tinley Park
- Western Springs
- Wheeling
- Willow Springs
- Wilmette
- Worth