It’s funny how certain subjects come up more than once. A recent rumor floating around the hotel says that “they” are going to get uniforms for the employees and then take the cost out of the paychecks of the employees. Now this topic was brought to my attention by a few people. I was asked if “they” could do this.

The simple answer is no “they” can’t. The Illinois Department of Labor’s WAGE PAYMENT AND COLLECTION ACT say thats against the law:

Section 300.840 Uniforms Required by an Employer

An employer shall not deduct the cost of purchasing and/or of cleaning uniforms required by the employer from an employee’s wages or final compensation, unless the employee’s express written consent is given freely at the time the deduction is made. Distinctive outfits or accessories, or both, intended to identify the employee with a specific employer shall be considered a uniform. If an employer requires a general type of ordinary basic street clothing to be worn, but permits variations in the detail of dress, this shall not be considered a uniform. However, when an employer requires that an employee purchase street clothes either from the employer or from a third party designated by the employer, the clothing shall be considered a uniform.

So as you can see “they” can’t do this. I want to draw your attention to that last bit there, were it says:

when an employer requires that an employee purchase street clothes either from the employer or from a third party designated by the employer, the clothing shall be considered a uniform.

I bring this up because I asked the Assistant GM about this rumor. She told me this rumor wasn’t true. She said “they” will purchase one uniform for the employee. After that it’s up to us. But this above bit of text here is important. The part were it says “from the employer or from a third party designated by the employer” is something to remember.

If for whatever reason say you need a second uniform and “they” say you have to buy it from So & So Inc. Well guess what? “They” will be purchasing the second uniform as well. And you got to remember to stand up for yourselves. You have to make sure that “they” know that you won’t stand for this bullshit.

To make it easy for you later on when you decide you want to file a complaint against the hotel, I have found the link to the the page with info such as phone number and even the required forms to fill out. Bookmark this page for future reference.