State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB1583

 
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 1        AN ACT in relation to persons in military service.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.  The  Service  Men's Employment Tenure Act is
 5    amended by changing Sections 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 as follows:

 6        (330 ILCS 60/1) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 29)
 7        Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited  as  the
 8    Military  Service  Men's  Employment  Tenure  and  Employment
 9    Benefits Act.
10    (Source: Laws 1941, vol. 1, p. 1202.)

11        (330 ILCS 60/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 30)
12        Sec.  2. As a guide to the interpretation and application
13    of this Act, the public policy of the State  is  declared  as
14    follows:
15        As  a  constituent  commonwealth  of the United States of
16    America, the State of Illinois is  dedicated  to  the  urgent
17    task  of  strengthening  and  expediting the national defense
18    under the emergent conditions which are threatening the peace
19    and security of this nation. It is the considered judgment of
20    the General Assembly that the wage earners  of  Illinois  who
21    respond  to  their  country's call to service in this time of
22    crisis, are deserving of every protection of their employment
23    status which the law may afford, and that repetition  of  the
24    regrettable  experience  existing  after  the  great  war  of
25    1917-1918,  wherein  returning  service  personnel  men  were
26    subjected to serious discrimination with regard to tenure and
27    other  rights  of employment, must be avoided, since any form
28    of  economic   discrimination   against   returning   service
29    personnel men is a serious menace to the entire social fabric
30    of the United States of America and the State of Illinois.
 
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 1        By   safeguarding  the  employment  and  the  rights  and
 2    privileges inhering in the employment  contract,  of  service
 3    personnel  men,  the State of Illinois encourages its workers
 4    to participate to the fullest extent in the national  defense
 5    program  and  thereby heightens the contribution of our State
 6    to the protection of our heritage of liberty and democracy.
 7    (Source: Laws 1941, vol. 1, p. 1202.)

 8        (330 ILCS 60/4) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 32)
 9        Sec. 4.  Each person in the employ of a private  employer
10    or  of  the  State  of  Illinois  or a political subdivision,
11    except as in this Section provided, who, for the  purpose  of
12    entering the military service, has left or leaves such employ
13    and  actually  entered the military service as herein defined
14    and who thereafter,  (1)  receives  a  certificate  or  other
15    evidence of honorable discharge or satisfactory completion of
16    his  or  her  military  service  under the laws of the United
17    States, and  (2)  is,  at  the  time  of  such  discharge  or
18    completion  of  such  military  service,  still  qualified to
19    perform the duties of the position of employment which he  or
20    she  has  left,  and  (3) makes application for re-employment
21    within 90 days after he or she is relieved from such military
22    service, or from hospitalization continuing  after  discharge
23    for  a period of not more than one year, shall be restored by
24    such employer to the position of employment which the  person
25    he  left  with  the  same  increases in status, seniority and
26    wages that were  earned  during  the  person's  his  term  of
27    military  service  by employees in like positions who were on
28    the job at the time such returning person serviceman  entered
29    the  service,  or to a position of like seniority, status and
30    pay, unless such employer's circumstances have so changed  as
31    to  make  it impossible or unreasonable to do so; however, if
32    such employee otherwise qualified for  such  reemployment  is
33    not  qualified  to  perform  the  duties  of  the position of
 
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 1    employment which he or she has left to  enter  such  military
 2    service,  by  reason  of  disability  sustained  during  such
 3    service  but  qualified  to  perform  the duties of any other
 4    position in the employ of the employer, the person  he  shall
 5    be  restored to such other position the duties of which he or
 6    she  is  qualified  to  perform  as  will  provide  him  like
 7    seniority, status, and  pay,  or  the  nearest  approximation
 8    thereof consistent with the circumstances in his or her case,
 9    unless,  in  the  case of a private employer, such employer's
10    circumstances have so changed as to  make  it  impossible  or
11    unreasonable to do so.
12        If  an  employee  enters  such  military  service and the
13    position of employment which the employee he left  is  filled
14    by  one  or  more  employees  who  later  enter such military
15    service, the employees  shall,  upon  release  from  military
16    service,  be  given preference in the matter of employment in
17    the order in which they entered  military  service,  and  the
18    employer  shall  not  be  required to retain more than one of
19    them in his or her employ.
20        Each person in the employ of a private employer or of the
21    State of Illinois or a political subdivision,  except  as  in
22    this  Section  provided, who, for the purpose of entering the
23    military service, has left or leaves such employ but who  has
24    been  rejected  for  lack  of  proper  qualifications,  shall
25    likewise  be  restored  by  such  employer to the position of
26    employment which the person he left with the  same  seniority
27    status and wage increases that an employee who was on the job
28    at  the time the person he left to enter the military service
29    earned during the time such service rejected person was  away
30    from  his  or her employment because of his or her attempt to
31    enter  the  military  service,  or  to  a  position  of  like
32    seniority, status and pay, provided, that at the time of such
33    rejection the person he is qualified to perform the duties of
34    the position of employment which he or she has left  and  has
 
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 1    made  application  for  re-employment  within  90  days after
 2    receipt of official notice of such rejection.
 3        The employment restoration provisions of this Section  do
 4    not apply to an employee of the State who was employed before
 5    entering  or  attempting  to  enter the military service in a
 6    position in a department or other  agency  in  the  Executive
 7    branch  involving principal administrative responsibility for
 8    the determination of policy or for the way such policies  are
 9    carried out.
10    (Source: P.A. 88-518.)

11        (330 ILCS 60/5) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 33)
12        Sec.  5.  Any  person  who  is  restored  or  seeks to be
13    restored to a position in accordance with the  provisions  of
14    this  Act,  shall be considered as having been on furlough or
15    leave of absence during his or her military service and shall
16    be so  restored  without  loss  of  seniority  and  shall  be
17    entitled  to  participate  in  insurance  or  other  benefits
18    offered  by  the  employer  pursuant to established rules and
19    practices relating to  employees  on  furlough  or  leave  of
20    absence  in  effect with the employer at the time such person
21    entered military service. Such person shall not be discharged
22    from such position without cause within one year  after  such
23    restoration.
24        If an employer provides health insurance, an exclusion or
25    waiting period may not be imposed in connection with coverage
26    of  a  health  or  physical condition of a person entitled to
27    participate in that insurance under this Section, or a health
28    or physical condition of any other person who is  covered  by
29    the  insurance  by  reason of the coverage of that person, if
30    (1) the condition arose before or during that person's period
31    of military service; (2) an exclusion or waiting period would
32    not have been imposed for the condition during  a  period  of
33    coverage  resulting  from participation by that person in the
 
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 1    insurance; and (3) the condition of that person has not  been
 2    determined to be service connected.
 3    (Source: P.A. 88-518.)

 4        (330 ILCS 60/6) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 34)
 5        Sec.  6.  In case any employer fails or refuses to comply
 6    with  this Act, the circuit court of the county in which such
 7    private employer maintains a place of  business,  or  of  the
 8    county  where such State employee performs most of his or her
 9    duties, has power, upon the filing  of  a  complaint  by  the
10    person  entitled to the benefits of this Act, to specifically
11    require  such  employer  to  comply  with  this  Act  and  to
12    compensate such person for any  loss  of  wages  or  benefits
13    suffered  by  reason  of  such  employer's  unlawful  action,
14    together  with a reasonable attorney's fee.  No fees or court
15    costs shall be taxed against  any  person  applying  for  the
16    benefits of this Act.
17        The court shall, in its sound discretion, give preference
18    to  the  hearing  and  disposition  of  such cases over other
19    matters then pending before it.
20    (Source: P.A. 79-1359; 79-1365.)

21        Section 10.  The Metropolitan Transit  Authority  Act  is
22    amended by changing Section 29 as follows:

23        (70 ILCS 3605/29) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 329)
24        Sec.  29.  If  the  Authority  acquires  a transportation
25    system in operation by a public utility, all of the employees
26    in the operating and maintenance  divisions  of  such  public
27    utility   and   all  other  employees  except  executive  and
28    administrative officers and employees, shall  be  transferred
29    to  and  appointed  as employees of the Authority, subject to
30    all rights and benefits of  this  Act,  and  these  employees
31    shall  be  given  seniority  credit  in  accordance  with the
 
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 1    records and labor agreements of the public utility. Employees
 2    who left the employ of such a public  utility  to  enter  the
 3    military  service  of  the  United States shall have the same
 4    rights as to the  Authority,  under  the  provisions  of  the
 5    Military  "Service  Men's  Employment  Tenure  and Employment
 6    Benefits Act", approved July 17, 1941, as they would have had
 7    thereunder as to such public utility. After such  acquisition
 8    the  authority  shall  be  required  to extend to such former
 9    employees of such public utility only the rights and benefits
10    as to pensions and retirement as are accorded other employees
11    of the Authority.
12    (Source: Laws 1963, p. 152.)

13        Section 15.  The  Local  Mass  Transit  District  Act  is
14    amended by changing Section 3.5 as follows:

15        (70 ILCS 3610/3.5) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 353.5)
16        Sec.  3.5.  If  the  district  acquires  a  mass  transit
17    facility,   all   of  the  employees  in  the  operating  and
18    maintenance divisions of such mass transit facility  and  all
19    other  employees except executive and administrative officers
20    and employees, shall  be  transferred  to  and  appointed  as
21    employees of the district, subject to all rights and benefits
22    of  this  Act,  and  these employees shall be given seniority
23    credit in accordance with the records and labor agreements of
24    the mass transit facility. Employees who left the  employ  of
25    such a mass transit facility to enter the military service of
26    the  United  States  shall  have  the  same  rights as to the
27    district, under the provisions of the Military "Service Men's
28    Employment Tenure and Employment Benefits Act", approved July
29    17, 1941, as they would have had thereunder as to  such  mass
30    transit  facility.  After such acquisition the district shall
31    be required to extend to such former employees of  such  mass
32    transit  facility only the rights and benefits as to pensions
 
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 1    and  retirement  as  are  accorded  other  employees  of  the
 2    district.
 3    (Source: Laws 1959, p. 1635.)

 4        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
 5    becoming law.

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