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.
In the opinion, Justice David Overstreet wrote that the court's goal was to determine the legislature's intent at the time Illinois' 1971 Minimum Wage law was enacted, emphasizing that the court aimed to adhere to the plain language of the law.
"We must refrain from departing from the statute's plain language by reading into it exceptions, limitations, or conditions that conflict with the express language of the statute," Overstreet wrote.
Justice Overstreet delivered the court's opinion, with Chief Justice P. Scott Neville and Justices Lisa Holder White, Joy Cunningham, Elizabeth Rochford, and Mary O'Brien concurring. Justice Sanjay Tailor did not take part in the decision.
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