MARCH EDITION
Your Compliance Questions, Answered
By Dana Holle, GovDocs Counsel and Manager Employment Law and Compliance
March 24, 2026
Each month, GovDocs’ Employment Law & Compliance Team answers the most common employment law questions employers are facing. This March edition covers the status of Chicago’s tipped employee wage, new California pay data reporting fields, and recent amendments to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act impact the corresponding labor law poster.
Staying compliant in today’s rapidly evolving employment law landscape often raises more questions than answers. Each month, Dana Holle, Counsel & Manager of GovDocs’ Employment Law & Compliance Team, tackles the most asked employment law compliance questions by employers across the country.
What is the status of Chicago’s tipped employee wage?
On March 18, 2026, the Chicago City Council voted 30-18 to reverse course on its tipped credit phase-out, which would have led to the elimination of the city’s tipped employee wage by July 1, 2028. Ordinance SO2025-0017549 keeps the tipped credit at 24% of the applicable minimum wage rate.
However, following the passage of the ordinance last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson stated that he plans to veto the ordinance to keep the tipped credit phase-out intact. Chicago City Council would need 34 votes to override a mayoral veto.
For further wage updates for Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, and the rest of the United States, check out GovDocs Minimum Wage.
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What new California pay data fields are required for Reporting Year 2025?
Private employers with 100 or more employees nationwide, including at least one employee in The Golden State, and private client employers with 100 or more labor contractor employees must file pay data reports with the California Civil Rights Department.
The deadline to file pay data reports covering Reporting Year 2025 is May 13, 2026. Employers must now include employee exemption status, employment type, and weeks worked during the reporting year.
As a reminder, California also has several upcoming changes to pay data reporting set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. For more information on pay data reporting and applicable legislative updates, check out GovDocs’ recent Riding the Pay Transparency Wave Webinar.
How do the recent amendments to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act impact the corresponding labor law poster?
Illinois enacted SB 2339 on Dec. 12, 2025, amending the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. Among several substantive changes, SB 2339 repealed Sections 12 and 13, which contained posting requirements under the Act.
Prior to SB 2339, Illinois required employers to display a Right to Privacy in the Workplace/E-Verify posting that included information on the federal e-verify system, employment eligibility requirements, employer responsibilities, employee rights, and how to file a complaint under the Act.
Following this change, the Illinois Department of Labor removed the corresponding posters from its website. As a result, these state-specific Right to Privacy in the Workplace/E-Verify posters can be removed from display in the workplace:
Please note that if employers are using the federal E-Verify system in Illinois, the federal Right to Work/E-Verify posters are still required to be displayed in the workplace:
