Today, the Responsible Job Creation Act goes into effect. The Act amends Illinois’ unique temp worker protections. The amendments address wage theft, hiring discrimination, workplace safety, and perma-temping. Amongst the changes are new reporting requirements for temp agencies concerning the race and gender of workers they hire. As the In These Times article covering the passage of the law explained, “The transparency provisions come in response to a pattern of systemic racial and gender discrimination in the temp industry. In Illinois, whistleblowers have alleged that African-American temp workers are routinely passed over for jobs in favor of Latinos, whom employers consider easier to exploit on the job.” This is a critical step toward effective enforcement against the discriminatory practices that are pervasive in the temp industry.  

NESRI supported the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, Warehouse Workers for Justice and Raise the Floor Alliance in the campaign that led up to the bill’s passage last Fall. For more information on the conditions of temp work in Illinois and nationally, check out our joint report with the National Staffing Workers Alliance: Temporary Work, Permanent Abuse.