Labor in Illinois

Weekly Labor Report
Sept 7, 2007

Illinois Requires Hospitals to Establish Minimum Nursing Staff Levels

Governor Blagojevich signed legislation requiring hospitals to ensure that staffing levels within each inpatient care unit to align with the specific needs of patients in those units. The new law also requires criminal background checks for several groups of private workers: health care workers with direct contact with patients, carnival workers, and employees of non-public schools. The law requires that each hospital implement a written, facilitywide staffing plan that enumerates minimum levels of direct care registered nurse-to patient staffing requirements for each inpatient care unit. – Daily Labor Report (28 Aug 2007): A-5.

Union Workers Protest Cuts at East St. Louis Hospital

Union workers rallied outside Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in East St. Louis to protest 120 job cuts and the possibility of the facility’s closing. The Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation says they hope to combine the services of this hospital with those at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville. Under the consolidation plan now proposed, Kenneth Hall would retain only an emergency room and acute mental health care programs. Reverend Ken McCoy of the Metropolitan Organizations Strengthening and Empowering Society has solicited Governor Blagojevich to not let suburban interests overpower the 31,500 people who live in East St. Louis, many of whom are served and employed by the hospital. East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks said, “Every day there are 13,000 people between 10th Street and the Mississippi River, and I'm just talking about employees — not to mention all the people who visit the Casino Queen on a regular basis, not to mention all the people who come to the federal courthouse on a regular basis," Parks said. "We need a hospital in East St. Louis." – St. Louis Post-Dispatch Today (7 Sept 2007)

Illinois Bans Construction “Independent Contractors”

In what might set a precedent for the country, Governor Blagojevich signed a law prohibits the construction industry’s use of “independent contractor” status to dodge liability and payments of taxes and benefits. The law declares that a construction worker is an employee unless the worker is “free from” employer control, “providing a service outside the usual course of business” for the employer, and “engaged in an independently established trade.” Currently, thousands of construction workers, including one in every twelve employed in Illinois, are illegally declared independent contractors. – The Labor Paper (16 Aug 2007): 13.

OSHA Issues Whistleblower Protection Rule

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration refined the protocol for whistleblower complaints filed with the Department of Labor. Now, the rule covers complaints brought under the Clean Air Act of 2005; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; Federal Water Pollution Control Act; Safe Drinking Water Act; Solid Waste Disposal Act; and Toxic Substances Control Act. The rule is aimed at making consistent the procedures for handling complaints under the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974(amended in 2005) and more recent acts. – SafteyNet (28 Aug 2007):121.