Illinois is the latest state to enact pay transparency legislation. Beginning in 2025, employers will be required to include pay ranges in job postings, according to law firm Ogletree Deakins. Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law on Aug. 11.
Illinois joins nine other states that have passed a pay transparency law: Hawaii, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island and Washington.
Illinois’ pay transparency legislation will require employers with at least 15 employees to include in job postings the “pay scale and benefits” that employers reasonably think they will pay for the positions. The law will apply to jobs performed at least in part in Illinois as well as jobs where the employee will report to a supervisor office, or other work site in Illinois.
According to the law, employers may satisfy the pay transparency requirements by including a “hyperlink to a publicly viewable webpage that includes the pay scale and benefits.” It will not require employers to post a job nor will it prohibit employers from asking job applicants about their wage or salary expectations for the job.
UPS Workers Approve New Contract, End Strike Threat
As reported by NBC News, UPS workers have ratified the Teamsters-negotiated labor deal reached nearly a month ago, allowing the next five-year contract covering 340,000 employees to take effect.
The decision, which more than 86% of UPS union members who voted supported, officially removes the threat of a strike at UPS. Logistics experts had warned that a protracted work stoppage would have caused widespread disruptions across the United States, halting many more deliveries than top rivals could have absorbed.
The new agreement eliminates a widely criticized two-tiered wage system and institutes raises across UPS’ workforce.
Current full- and part-time union workers are guaranteed a $2.75 hourly pay increase this year, the Teamsters said, amounting to a $7.50 hourly increase through the duration of the contract. Hourly pay for existing and starting part-time workers will be raised to at least $21 immediately, advancing to $23 per hour.
Current part-timers also won longevity wage increases of up to $1.50 an hour. Wage increases for full-time drivers would bring their average top rate to $49 an hour, the union said.
UPS workers also secured hard-fought heat safety protections, including a plan to bring air conditioning to the company’s delivery vehicles for the first time.
Starbucks Ordered to Pay Extra $2.7M to Fired Manager
A New Jersey federal judge has ordered Starbucks to pay a former employee who was awarded $25.6 million in a wrongful termination suit an extra $2.7 million in damages, according to ABC News.
Shannon Phillips, a former regional director for the chain, sued the coffee giant in 2019, claiming that she was fired for being white.
On Wednesday, Judge Joel Slomsky ordered Starbucks to pay Phillips $2,736,755 in back pay, front pay and tax gross. The ruling comes after a jury ordered Starbucks to pay Phillips $25.6 million in settlement money, including punitive and compensatory damages, following a trial in June.
Phillips claimed in her lawsuit that “her race was a determinative factor” in Starbucks' decision to fire her in the wake of a 2018 racial firestorm.
In April 2018, two Black men — Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson — were arrested while waiting for a business meeting after an employee called 911 and accused the men of trespassing after they refused to make a purchase or leave the store. The arrests sparked nationwide protests and prompted Starbucks to close some of its stores for a day for racial bias training.
Less than a month after the arrests, Phillips was notified of her termination, despite claiming that she wasn't at the store that day and was not involved in the arrests in any way. At the time of her termination, Phillips had been with Starbucks for nearly 13 years.
Goldman Cracks Down on Employees That Aren’t in the Office Full Time
Goldman Sachs recently told staffers the business will crack down on those who aren’t at their desks five days a week. As a result, CEO David Solomon has pulled the plug on Summer Fridays, according to the New York Post.
The renewed emphasis comes as Goldman’s Wall Street headquarters was described as “totally dead” on Fridays now that interns have gone and a large number of employees opt to work remotely to get an early start on the weekend, sources told the Post.
“While there is flexibility when needed, we are simply reminding our employees of our existing policy,” HR chief Jacqueline Arthur said in a statement to the Post. “We have continued to encourage employees to work in the office five days a week.”
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