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Press Coverage of Caffarelli & Associates Ltd.’s Most Recent Case, Keith Jackson v. NIU et al.

Caffarelli & Associates Ltd.'s most recent case, Keith Jackson v. NIU et al., has received significant press coverage. Keith Jackson is the current Controller for Northern Illinois University, although he has now been on involuntary administrative leave for over one year. The lawsuit filed by the Firm on behalf of Mr. Jackson alleges, among other things, that he was denied his due process rights when he was placed on leave, suspended, and ultimately terminated in retaliation for defying University President...

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Alejandro Caffarelli a featured speaker at Seventh Circuit Bar Association Seminar

Alejandro Caffarelli will be a featured speaker at a Seventh Circuit Bar Association seminar entitled "Settling an SAP Employment Case: An overview of Employment Law, Settlement Techniques & the U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill., Settlement Assistance Program." The free CLE* seminar on negotiation of employment disputes & pro bono limited representation is scheduled for October 7, 2015 - 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. at the U.S. District Court's ceremonial courtroom located at 219 S. Dearborn in Chicago, Illinois. The seminar is...

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Alexis Martin Quoted in Law360 Article on the Recent Santiago NRLB Administrative Decision

Caffarelli & Associates Ltd. attorney Alexis Martin was quoted in Law360 about a case that the NLRB brought on behalf of the firm's client, Audelia Santiago. Ms. Santiago was formerly employed by the Tinley Park Hotel and Convention Center LLC, which operates a Holiday Inn outside Chicago. Ms. Santiago was fired after "selfie" photographs of her at work were posted to her Facebook account with the statement "working like an (sic) slave," and after numerous employees and others commented on...

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Alejandro Caffarelli Quoted in Chicago Tribune re: DOL Guidance on Independent Contractors

Caffarelli & Associates Ltd. founder Alejandro Caffarelli was quoted in a Chicago Tribune article detailing the United States Department of Labor's Administrative Guidance regarding the classification of independent contractors. According to the Tribune, "[t]he guidance comes as a growing number of employers are contracting out services to third parties, including subcontractors, temporary agencies and franchisees. . . . Worker advocates say companies misclassify employees to save costs by not paying payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation insurance and overtime." The...

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Obama Administration Greatly Expands Overtime Eligibility

Generally speaking, even salaried employees are automatically entitled to receive 1.5 their regular hourly rate so long as their annual salary falls beneath a certain threshold, currently $23,660, regardless of job duties or title. But on Monday night, President Obama announced in an op-ed Huffington Post article that he will direct the U.S. Department of Labor to issue new regulations raising the minimum annual salary under which an employer must pay overtime. The new regulations will raise the regular hourly...

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Alejandro Caffarelli Quoted in Chicago Tribune

Alejandro Caffarelli was quoted in a recent Chicago Tribune article featuring the Firm's latest trucking misclassification case, Barrera v DNJ. The article also features Adam Kader from Arise Chicago, which referred the case to Caffarelli & Associates Ltd. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-contractor-misclassification-labor-0625-biz-20150624-story.html#page=1

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The Employment Law Impact of Texas Dep't of Housing v. Inclusive Comm.: A Double-Edged Sword?

Earlier this week, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court surprised many and saved disparate impact discrimination claims under the Federal Housing Act (“FHA”). See Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. Generally, the disparate impact analysis allows individuals to prove discrimination based upon the disparate impact of an employer's otherwise neutral policy. For example, a purportedly neutral test that is not related to the job but has the effect of weeding out members of...

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C&A Congratulates Chicago Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup Victory

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup victory! May this inspire our *other* Chicago sports teams to reach new heights . . . . Here are some pictures of the post-victory parade mayhem outside of our offices (bear in mind that a good portion of the Loop looked something like this yesterday afternoon):

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Caffarelli & Associates Ltd. Federal Class Action Featured in Crains Chicago Business

Earlier this month, Caffarelli & Associates Ltd. filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of Lucio Barrera against his employer, DNJ Intermodal Services. The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Barrera and a class of truck drivers based out of Illinois were misclassified as independent contractors, and that in light of the unlawful deductions being made from their paychecks the drivers would sometimes make less than the minimum wage. Mr. Barrera also personally alleges that DNJ wrongfully confiscated his personal truck...

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