SPRINGFIELD – This Labor Day, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is recognizing the contributions of working people across Illinois and highlighting the Department’s work over the past year to protect workers’ wages, rights, welfare and safety.
The Department’s 2026 Labor Day Report details IDOL’s enforcement, education and outreach efforts, including nearly $3.9 million collected in back wages for workers and more than 3,300 individual wage payments issued. IDOL also collected more than $1.4 million in penalties from employers found to have violated Illinois labor laws.
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“Labor Day is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of workers and to reflect on the protections that make Illinois a great place to work,” said Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan. “Every day, IDOL strives to ensure that workers receive the wages and protections they have earned, employers understand their responsibilities, and Illinois workplaces are safe. We are proud of the progress we have made this year, and we remain committed to making our services more accessible and responsive to workers and employers across the state.”
Among the highlights from IDOL’s 2026 Labor Day Report:
Protecting Workers’ Wages: IDOL received more than 9,000 complaints this year and conducted more than 2,900 administrative hearings and pre-hearings to help resolve wage and hour disputes. The Department also continued expanding mediation and informal resolution efforts to help workers recover wages more quickly.
Enforcing Prevailing Wage Protections: IDOL recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and penalties through investigations of public works projects across Illinois. In one investigation involving a solar energy project in Winnebago County, for example, 27 workers received nearly $92,000 in back wages after their employer failed to pay required prevailing wage rates.
Advancing Equal Pay: IDOL continued enforcing the Illinois Equal Pay Act, including protections against employers requesting applicants’ salary histories and requirements for greater pay transparency in job postings. The Department also partnered with the University of Illinois’ Project for Middle Class Renewal to analyze more than 3.2 million payroll records and examine progress and continuing disparities in pay equity across the state.
Expanding Leave Protections: The Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act took effect June 1, 2026, providing eligible employees of employers with 16 or more employees with up to 20 days of unpaid, job-protected leave while their child is a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. IDOL also continued enforcing the Paid Leave for All Workers Act and successfully resolved nearly 400 complaints involving rights to leave.
Promoting Workplace Safety: IDOL’s Illinois OSHA and On-Site programs continued working with employers to identify hazards, improve safety programs and prevent workplace injuries. The City of Freeport Public Works Department became the first public works department in Illinois to achieve Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program status, recognizing its exemplary workplace safety and health program.
Keeping Amusements and Attractions Safe: IDOL’s Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Division conducted thousands of inspections and continued modernizing the permitting process. During the 2026 permit year, more than 3,500 inspection reports had been entered into the Department’s online portal and made available to applicants and permit holders.
Making Labor Rights More Accessible: IDOL expanded its outreach and education efforts, delivering more than 60 workshops and presentations across Illinois on topics including minimum wage, wage theft, child labor, leave protections, and the process for filing a complaint. The Department also continued strengthening language access and improving its website to make information about workplace rights easier to understand and navigate.
Illinois has a long history of advancing protections for working people, from early child labor safeguards and the fight for the eight-hour workday to modern protections involving wages, leave, pay equity and workplace safety. The 2026 Labor Day Report reflects IDOL’s continued commitment to that history and ensuring workers across the state can access the protections provided under Illinois law.
The 2026 Illinois Department of Labor Day Report is available on the Department’s website.
About IDOL
The mission of the Illinois Department of Labor is to protect and promote the wages, welfare, working conditions and safety of Illinois workers by enforcing state labor and employment laws, providing compliance assistance to employers, and increasing public awareness of workplace protections. Through enforcement, education and community partnerships, the Department works to ensure that workers are paid what they are owed and that employers who follow the law remain competitive.
