Article Summary

• Illinois’ wage law does not include federal exclusions that would shield companies from having to pay employees for pre-and post-shift activities, the state high court ruled.
• The ruling is based on a civil suit brought against Amazon by two former employees after they were not compensated for pre-shift health screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Amazon argued the court should follow federal regulations, but the employees said they were entitled to compensation because state law does not include those regulations.
• The case will now return to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work activities, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled.

Although federal regulations exclude that requirement, the court found Illinois’ wage law does not include any similar provisions. That means employers could be required to compensate employees for required activities outside of the normal work day.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit asked the state’s high court to decide if state law includes the federal regulation found in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The question originates from a civil suit brought against Amazon by two former employees, although the court’s ruling is not an official ruling in that case.

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