Governor Signs Landmark Legislation on Women's Equality Day to Guarantee Women the Right to be Both Mothers and Employees

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced he has signed a landmark new law that will fight the widespread but often overlooked practice of discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace. The law provides job protections for pregnant women and requires that reasonable accommodations be made in the workplace so expectant mothers can continue working without fear for their health or the health of their child. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to ensuring full equality for women in Illinois.

"Women should not have to choose between being a mother and having a job," Governor Quinn said. "This new law will provide important protections and accommodations for working mothers-to-be so that they can continue to provide for their family without risking their health or the health of their child.  These common-sense accommodations will provide peace of mind, safety and opportunity for moms-to-be and also help strengthen our workforce across the state."

"This bill is simply common sense," Director of Equal Opportunity at Women Employed Melissa Josephs said. "A woman should not have to choose between a healthy pregnancy and supporting her family. Many people thought that this was already the law. Now, fortunately, they're right."

House Bill 8, sponsored by State Representative Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) and State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights), provides pregnant women with important worker protections such as limits on heavy lifting and assistance in manual labor; access to places to sit; more frequent bathroom breaks; time off to recover from childbirth; and break space for breast-feeding.

Studies have shown that, despite existing protections, pregnant women are too often forced out of their jobs and denied reasonable job modifications that would enable them to continue working. The Governor worked tirelessly with the bill's sponsors to pass the legislation in the Illinois General Assembly. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2015.

"Every woman deserves to be respected and protected, and no woman should have to hide her pregnancy for fear of losing her job because she is pregnant," Representative Flowers said. "No woman should have to choose between losing her baby and or losing her job because the employer failed to make reasonable accommodations. Many of these women are disproportionately low income and single parents in need of their jobs. House Bill 8 creates a broad responsibility for employers to reasonably accommodate pregnant employees, which is no different than any other accommodations being made for anyone else with a health issue."

"Continuing to work during pregnancy, along with a quick return to work afterward, is very important for working mothers and their families," Senator Hutchinson said. "The reality is that for many Illinois families, women are the primary breadwinners and they should never have to choose between the ability to continue to provide for their families and a healthy pregnancy."

Since the last time pregnancy workforce protections were addressed at the federal level in 1978, the number of women who work during pregnancy has continued to rise at a high rate. According to a report issued in 2013 by the National Women's Law Center, nearly two-thirds of first-time mothers continue to work while pregnant and the majority of those work into their last month of pregnancy. Unfortunately, as the number of pregnant women working has increased so have the number of pregnancy discrimination cases filed. A study by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows that, from 1992 to 2011, charges of pregnancy discrimination filed increased 71 percent.

"This legislation is especially important for low-income workers, who typically have the most physically demanding jobs and are least likely to have access to maternity leave and sick time," Wendy Pollack, director of the Women's Law and Policy Project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, said. "Women can't afford to lose their jobs, along with their income, seniority, and their employer-provided health insurance, or put their pregnancies at risk, due to the denial of a reasonable accommodation."

The Governor also today signed House Bill 5563, sponsored by State Representative Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park) and State Senator Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), to amend the Equal Pay Act to centralize all complaints and investigations of women workers who fail to receive equal pay for equal work because of their gender. The new law allows the Illinois Department of Labor to refer complaints of alleged violations of the Equal Pay Act to the Illinois Department of Human Rights to help avoid confusion and centralize discrimination investigations. House Bill 5563 goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2015.

Illinois' Equal Pay Act prohibits employers with four or more employees from paying unequal wages to men and women doing the same or substantially similar work, requiring equal skill, effort, responsibility and under similar working conditions. The law protects both men and women, and any individual who files an equal pay complaint is protected under the Act from harassment or retaliation. If an employer is found guilty of pay discrimination, they will be required to make up the wage difference to the employee and may be subject to pay legal costs and civil fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois women still earn just 78 cents of every dollar earned by Illinois men based on the median weekly earnings of full-time workers. The law was enacted to help close the wage gap between men and women. Since its implementation the law has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages for women who were paid less than their male co-workers for doing the same work, which is prohibited under the Act.

Governor Quinn has been committed to protecting and empowering women in Illinois since taking office.  Last month, the Governor signed legislation to include a referendum asking voters if Illinois health insurance plans should be required to cover prescription birth control on the November 4 General Election ballot, following the U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision.

In his 2014 State of the State address, the Governor launched the innovative Birth to Five Initiative to expand access to prenatal care, early care and learning opportunities for every child. He also proposed a minimum of two days of earned sick leave per year for 2.5 million Illinois workers, 78 percent of whom are women, who have no sick leave.

He fought for and signed a law amending the Equal Pay Act to give victims of underpayment more time to address their claims. In 2013, Governor Quinn launched the first ever Women Owned Business Symposium to support the growth of women-owned businesses across Illinois.

The Governor is also leading the charge to increase the state's minimum wage to at least $10 per hour - six in ten minimum wage workers in Illinois are female.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA--The Council of State Governments' Executive Committee has called on the Obama administration and Congress to establish a national energy policy that promotes all available domestic sources of energy.

The resolution, approved Aug. 13 during the CSG National and CSG West Annual Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, comes in response to proposed new Clean Air Act rules that will require modified, reconstructed and existing power plants to reduce carbon emissions. The resolution states the regulation of retail electricity sales and local distribution should be left up to the states and that each state is responsible for ensuring a reliable and affordable supply of energy.

The resolution urges state policymakers to develop comments on the rules by the Environmental Protection Agency's deadline.

The executive committee also adopted a resolution dealing with a proposed rule to redefine "waters of the U.S." that could significantly increase the cost and regulatory requirements of state and local governments. That resolution calls on full consultation and engagement of state governments in any process that may affect management of their waters.

It also asks the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to delay redefining the waters of the U.S. rule until after an economic analysis and a Science Advisory Board review are completed.

The proposed rule, the committee believes, would apply to all programs of the Clean Water Act and subject more activities to permitting requirements, analyses and mitigation requirements. The resolution states that the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not consider the impact on the full range of programs affected or the economic impacts to small businesses.

The executive committee also adopted resolutions:

• Supporting recognition of the EMS Personnel Licensure Compact known as REPLICA;
• Supporting the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, known as SARA, which addresses distance learning;
• Requesting Congress and the federal government to pursue opportunities to protect intellectual property, reduce fraudulent theft and protect American businesses and consumers;
• Urging Congress to pass reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank before the current authorization expires in September;
• Recommending each state's elections website provide specific information for military personnel and other U.S. citizens living overseas and that each website link to the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance program; and
• Commending the National Conference of State Legislatures on 40 years of service to the states.

Event to highlight contributions of working men & women

The Rock Island County Democratic Central Committee's 47th Annual "Salute to Labor" will feature good food, good family fun and a line-up of elected officials and statewide candidates gathered to honor the contributions of working men and women.

Among those confirmed as attending on Monday, September 1, 2014, at Illiniwek Park in Hampton, include : U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Lt. Governor & Comptroller candidate Sheila Simon, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, Lt. Governor candidate Paul Vallas and State Treasurer candidate, State Senator Mike Frerichs.

Two long-time members of the Quad Cities labor community - Joe Terronez and Marshall Douglas Sr. - will receive special recognition at the Labor Day picnic.

Also in attendance will be leaders from the Quad City Federation of Labor, the Tri-City Building & Construction Trades Council along with Quad City area elected officials including State Sen. Mike Jacobs and State Reps. Pat Verschoore and Mike Smiddy.

"I look forward to joining U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, other statewide officials and my friends in the Quad Cities to help celebrate and salute the significant contributions working men and women have made, over generations, to the quality of life and the economy of the region," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.

Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor Paul Vallas echoed Senator Durbin's message. "I am honored to stand alongside our good friends in the Quad Cities to make the case that this campaign is a choice between the government of the many versus the government of the money," said Vallas. "The question at the heart of this campaign has to deal with which party is best equipped to help rebuild the middle class in Illinois and the answer couldn't be more clear."

"We welcome families from throughout the Quad Cities to attend this family-friendly event," said Doug House, Chair of the Rock Island County Democratic Central Committee.

Tickets, which are $10 for adults and $6 for children under 12, will include a tasty chicken dinner and may be purchased at the event. Bounce houses for children will be on the picnic grounds and food and refreshments will be served from 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The official program of speakers will start at 1:00 p.m.  For more information, please call (309) 786-8337.

-- ## --