Amended Law Effective January 1, 2018

Illinois has amended its Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act. Highlights of the changes are presented below.

Amended Law
An employer generally may not discipline an employee who is a volunteer emergency worker if the employee responds to an emergency phone call or text message during work hours that requests the person's volunteer emergency services.

However, the law does not diminish or supersede an employer's written workplace policy, a collective bargaining agreement, administrative guidelines, or its other applicable written rules. Existing written policies governing the use of cell phones prevail and control.

Background
Under the Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act, an employer generally may not terminate an employee who is a volunteer emergency worker because the employee is absent from or late to his or her employment in order to respond to an emergency prior to the time the employee is to report to work.

Click here to read the text of the amended law. The law is effective January 1, 2018.

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