Illinois rules for workers
The Illinois Supreme Court rejected Amazon’s narrow reading of state wage‑and‑hour law this week, ruling that certain pre‑shift activities must be paid—an outcome labor lawyers say could set a persuasive precedent. Organizers see the decision as leverage for similar claims in other states. (news.bloomberglaw.com)
Johnson v. Amazon.com Services, LLC (Docket No. 132016) was decided by the Illinois Supreme Court on March 19, 2026, with Justice Overstreet delivering the opinion and a majority of the court joining the judgment. (ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net) The plaintiff employees were hourly Amazon warehouse workers who allege mandatory pre‑shift COVID‑19 “screenings” — temperature checks and symptom questions — took about 10–15 minutes on average and sometimes delayed employees past scheduled start times. (ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net) A federal district court had dismissed the plaintiffs’ FLSA claims under the Portal‑to‑Portal Act, and the Seventh Circuit certified the question whether Illinois’ Minimum Wage Law incorporates those federal PPA exclusions before staying further proceedings. (law.justia.com) The Illinois Supreme Court answered that certified question in the negative, holding section 4a of the Illinois Minimum Wage Law does not incorporate the PPA’s exclusions because the state statute contains no language adopting those federal exceptions. (ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net) Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Labor filed an amicus brief urging the court to reject Amazon’s proposed limitation on the state law, while national business groups also filed amici supporting Amazon’s position during earlier proceedings. (illinoisattorneygeneral.gov) Legal commentators and state reporting note the ruling could expose employers to wage claims for other mandatory pre‑ and post‑shift activities — commentators list measures like security screening, donning/doffing PPE, and biometric queues as potentially compensable — and the decision is likely to be cited as persuasive authority in nearby jurisdictions. (casemine.com)
