A bill that substantially amends the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act to impose expansive new duties on Illinois staffing firms — and on all employers that rely on temporary and day laborers — has been sent to the governor for signature. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is widely expected to sign the Temp Worker Fairness and Protection Act into law, according to a JD Supra blog post by law firm Jackson Lewis P.C.
“The TWFPA amendments make sweeping changes to the DTLSA, including mandated equal pay and expanded protections for day and temporary workers and safety training and notice requirements for temporary staffing agencies and their clients,” the blog post states.
The legislation revises the DTLSA to include the addition of an equal pay provision requiring temporary workers who are assigned to the same job for more than 90 calendar days to be paid as much as comparable direct hire employees; expanded protections for day and temporary laborers; and mandated safety training and notice obligations for temporary staffing agencies and their third-party clients. It is scheduled to take effect upon the governor’s signature.
The equal pay provision in the Illinois law follows the passage of a similar provision in New Jersey under the recently passed “Temp Worker Bill of Rights.” The Illinois legislation will provide equal pay opportunities for the state’s 650,000 temp workers who earn on average $4 less per hour than direct hire employees doing the same work, according to the Chicago Workers Collaborative, one of the organizations supporting the legislative initiative.
“Passing the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act is critical to addressing the unacceptable and rising workplace difficulties Black and brown workers face,” said Sen. Robert Peters, the bill’s Senate sponsor, in a press release. “Illinois is a pro-labor state that takes workplace safety and equitable pay seriously. We have proven that again today by passing this bill that not only sets the bar nationally for temp worker protections but provides regulators with the tools they need to ensure industry-wide compliance with the law.”
