Legal Question in Employment Law in Illinois

Re: overtime

The answer to your question depends upon a number of factors, the most important of which are whether you have employment contract or a union collective bargaining agreement. If you do, these agreements may spell out your rights and obligations.

Absent some sort of contractual obligation, there is nothing mandating that you work overtime. On the other hand, there is nothing preventing your employer from firing you. Where there exists no employment contract, Illinois is an "at-will" employment state, meaning that you can quit at anytime & the employer can fire you at any time (other than for statutorily protected reasons, such as unlawful discrimination).

The law merely provides that if you do work beyond a certain number of hours per day or per week, you will be entitled to increased pay.

-- Kenneth J. Ashman; [email protected]; www.lawyers.com/alo