State Treasurer Frerichs, Illinois Department of Labor working to return unpaid wages to IL workers

Recovered wages being added to Treasurer Frerichs’ missing money site is the result of a change in the law. 

 

The Illinois Department of Labor investigates wage theft and recovers back wages when it finds that an employer has underpaid workers in violation of state law. 

 

The change in state law extended the time for wage recovery to three years to give the Illinois Department of Labor more time to find employees who are owed back wages. The law also states that after three years, IDOL can send unclaimed wages to Treasurer Frerichs’ Unclaimed Property Trust Fund, so workers can still claim their money.

 

The Illinois Department of Labor has started to send recovered unpaid wages to the State Treasurer’s Office, which has added the names to the I-CASH site. So far, unpaid wages for 25 people have been added to the unclaimed property database. Workers can go to icash.illinoistreasurer.gov in the coming months to see if back wages are waiting for them to claim.

 

The change in state law also sets aside some funding for the Illinois Department of Labor to support worker outreach and education about recovering unpaid wages.

 

“Hard-working people in Illinois deserve to be paid for their labor,” Treasurer Frerichs said. “We are thankful to team up with the Illinois Department of Labor, Sen. Peters, and Rep. Evans on a common-sense solution.”

 

“Ensuring workers are paid what they’re owed is at the core of the Illinois Department of Labor’s mission,” said Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan. “These updates to the law not only extend the timeframe during which the Department can try to locate a worker who is owed unpaid wages, they also provide workers with a new tool to track down money that may be owed to them. We truly appreciate the partnership of the General Assembly and Treasurer Frerichs as we all strive to better serve Illinois workers.”