Chicago May Delay New Paid Leave Mandate

In November 2023, the Chicago City Council passed the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance, dramatically expanding the city’s existing paid sick leave ordinance to require employers to provide an additional 40 hours of paid leave, which employees could use for any purpose. The new ordinance was set to go into effect December 31, 2023. However, on December 7, 2023, the City Council’s Workforce Development Committee approved amendments to the ordinance that would delay implementation of the new requirements until July 1, 2024. The amendments would also impose a 16-day cooling off period before a worker could sue their employer for violating the ordinance and narrow the definition of workers covered under the policy to make it less likely that traveling workers in the trade show industry would be affected.

The proposed amendment must still be approved by the full City Council. A vote is expected next week. While nothing is guaranteed, the amendment appears likely to pass. Accordingly, Chicago employers may wish to postpone updates to their leave policies until the amendment has been addressed by City Council.