MEMBER PROFILE:
the
11TH STREET EXPRESS PRINTING PAGE 5
EMPLOYMENT LAW CHANGES IN 2025 TROY HAGGESTAD PAGE 9
November 2024 | Volume 37 | No. 11 of the greater rockford business community
EQUAL PAY ACT SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The legalities of AI AI might be artificial, but the legal risks are quite real
An amendment to the Equal
By The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce
takes effect January 1, 2025.
Pay Act of 2003, which requires employers with 15 or more employees to include a pay scale and benefits for any job posting, The goal of the legislation is to
Since the launch of ChatGPT, more businesses than ever are either considering or already using AI to help reach their company’s goals. However, amid the rise of AI in business, many legal considerations need to be taken into account when deciding how and when to leverage these tools – including intellectual property issues, data privacy, and the use of AI tools in hiring or decision-making processes. Locally, chamber members Reinhart Law, Workplace Staffing, and Entré Computer Solutions have witnessed firsthand the legal impacts of using AI for business and can provide best practices for what our region’s thriving small business community needs to bear in mind when
provide greater transparency to workers in the hiring process by providing them with more information about wages, salary, and benefits. When violations of the law are reported to Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL),
deciding whether or not to leverage this powerful technological tool.
AI and hiring As more businesses consider leveraging AI for a multitude of uses, many are taking a closer look at how it can assist with hiring and business decisions. When using AI for these purposes, there are a few legal considerations that Rockford businesses need to be mindful of from a federal and state level. Federally, the Biden Administration issued the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence in which executive departments and agencies were directed to develop guidance regarding responsible use of AI.
As it relates to hiring practices and decision-making processes, the executive order states: “In the workplace itself, AI should not be deployed in ways that undermine rights, worsen job quality, encourage undue worker surveillance, lessen market competition, introduce new health and safety risks, or cause harmful labor-force disruptions.” According to John Paul Kale, registered patent attorney with Reinhart Law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has stated that AI could lead to a disparate impact in employee selection procedures. In other words, using AI to influence hiring, promoting, or terminating employees should not lead to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, (continued on page 8)
Rockford’s collective success Mayor’s Business Address celebrates recent gains
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employer and provide a date by which the job posting, if still active, must be fixed. Failure to correct a posting will result in penalties. IDOL is offering Salary Transparency Compliance webinars Nov. 14 (3 p.m.) and Dec. 17 (2 p.m.). Visit https:// labor.illinois.gov for more information.
GOBBLE, GOBBLE! Court Street United Methodist Church will host its annual free Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, Nov. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 215 N. Court St. in downtown Rockford. Carryout and drivethrough meals are available (limit two per person) as well.
By The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce On Oct. 10, regional business leaders attended the sold-out Mayor’s Business Address luncheon. The annual event was held at the Illinois Bank and Trust Pavilion and hosted by the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce. In his remarks, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara outlined accomplishments and strategic initiatives impacting regional businesses. “Not only are we writing this new chapter, we are living it,” McNamara said. “It’s a chapter we are not too familiar with. This chapter no longer talks about missed opportunities or near wins. It’s about accomplishments and what we are achieving together.” The mayor, who recently announced his bid for a third term in office, reflected on the community’s journey from 2017 to the present and highlighted specific
the department will contact the
Approximately 125 volunteers will help prepare and serve turkey breast, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dressing, cranberry sauce, and 175 pies. The church will also distribute winter clothing and small personal care items to attendees. “Everyone is welcome to attend, but we especially want the homeless and those who find themselves alone to know they
accomplishments in the City of Rockford’s budget, neighborhoods, economic development, and public safety.
are welcome to take part,” said
Budget
Volunteers are still needed.
In 2017, the City of Rockford had no reserve funds, and property taxes were on the rise. Since that time, Rockford
at 815-962-6061 (Monday –
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Sue Cram, Thanksgiving chair.
Please contact the church office Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for additional information.
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