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Top 10 Quinn Administration Accomplishments at the Illinois Department of Labor in 2011
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1. Recovered Millions in Wages for Illinois Workers. Investigated and processed nearly 7,250 complaints through enforcement of the Wage Payment and Collection Act, Minimum Wage Law, Prevailing Wage Act and Equal Pay Act, recovering more than $4.7 million in unpaid and underpaid wages owed to Illinois workers.
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Wage Payment and Collection Act: Processed nearly 4,720 complaints and recovered approximately $2 million.
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Minimum Wage Law: Investigated 1,500 complaints and recovered nearly $1.5 million.
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Prevailing Wage Act: Investigated nearly 970 complaints and recovered nearly $1.2 million.
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Equal Pay Act: Investigated 60 complaints and recovered nearly $74,000 (with an additional $42,000 assessed and pending).
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2. Protected the Safety and Health of Public Sector Employees. Inspected 1,360 public worksites to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for public employees. Over 100,000 employees in Illinois are directly or indirectly protected from hazardous conditions that may have caused serious injury, illness or even death.
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3. Protected the Public through Regulation and Licensing of Placement Agencies. Protected workers, job seekers and the public's right to high quality health care by licensing approximately 1,370 placement agencies; collected $550,000 in license fees through enforcement of the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, Private Employment Agency Act and Nurse Agency Licensing Act.
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4. Enforced the Employee Classification Act. Processed 56 complaints; assessed $14.4 million in Preliminary Investigative Findings (PIF) penalties; assessed $6.7 million in Final Determination penalties; issued 18 “Notices of Violation” against contractors in the construction industry who unfairly underbid on public and private construction projects by misclassifying employees as independent contractors; and issued four “Decision & Orders” with final penalties assessed of $30,000.
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5. Promoted a Safe and Healthy Culture through Compliance Assistance under the OSHA State Plan. Performed 535 consultation visits for the private sector and identified nearly 2,245 hazards, with the majority being of a serious nature that would cause serious injury, illness or even death if left unabated. Over 50,000 employees were removed from this risk as a result of these consultation visits.
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6. Safeguarded Families and Children Attending Carnivals and Amusement Parks. Conducted 3,865 inspections of amusement rides and attractions and issued 2,690 permits to amusement ride companies.
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7. Promoted Pay Equity and Fairness for All Workers on “Equal Pay Day” in Illinois. Governor Quinn proclaimed April 12 as “Equal Pay Day” in Illinois. IDOL joined Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, equal pay advocates and hundreds of people at a Chicago rally on April 12 to draw attention to the wage gap persisting between women and men. The Department played a prominent role in highlighting the importance of pay equity and the state’s Equal Pay Act.
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8. Strengthened Wage Protections for Workers under the Wage Payment and Collection Act; Instituted New Formal Default Hearing Procedures for Claims $3,000 or Less. The newly amended Wage Payment and Collection Act increased civil and criminal penalties on employers engaging in wage theft and allowed IDOL to establish a streamlined process to resolve small claims. By instituting a new hearings procedure, workers with smaller claims can get a standalone legally enforceable judgment against an employer who refuses to participate in IDOL’s administrative proceedings.
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9. Established Partnership with U.S. Department of Labor to Share Information on Misclassification. Both agencies can now share information regarding efforts to identify and eliminate misclassification of employees as independent contractors. This partnership will greatly enhance IDOL’s efforts to root out misclassification and combat payroll fraud.
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10. Enforced the Child Labor Law. Continued to protect the rights, wages and welfare of working children. Reviewed and approved nearly 12,000 employment certificates for 14 and 15 year olds and issued 22 violations under the Child Labor Law.
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