Employees must be allowed to refuse working a “clopen” shift (a shifted separated by less than ten hours after their previous shift ends).
The One Day Rest in Seven Act (ODRISA) gives workers the right to a day of rest every workweek and breaks for meals or rest during daily work shifts.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has neither researched nor issued standards requiring that workers be permitted lunch and rest breaks in the course of their workday.
Both federal and state laws govern wages and hours. Federal law doesn't require meal breaks, but Illinois law does. If you work at least 7.5 hours a day, it entitles you to a 20-minute meal period.
You can either sue or file a wage claim with the Illinois Department of Labor. Employers are required to provide at least a 20 minute break within the first five hours of work, so long as your shift is at least seven hours long.
(a) Every employer shall allow every employee except those specified in this Section at least twenty-four consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period in addition to the regular period of rest allowed at the close of each working day.
New Illinois wage, employment, and welfare laws in 2024 PA 101-0001: Minimum wage increase. HB 1541: Protects gas and electric services on hot days. HB 1363: Employers are liable for gender-related violence. HB 2562: Landlords must meet new heating and cooling requirements.