Illinois

Freelancers, a new Illinois law says you have the right to be paid on time

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2023

Freelancers, a new Illinois law says you have the right to be paid on time

Like so many others, I joined The Great Resignation in early 2021 and quit my job. Not only did I leave a 15-year career in software, but I pivoted to content marketing and journalism. I was essentially “starting over” and began freelancing to build a writing portfolio and supplement my income.

One of my first clients was a local marketing agency. I knew the co-founder, and she approached me about writing an article and signed a contract, I researched the topic and turned in the draft. She thanked me for the work. I sent her an invoice for $500.

The due date for my invoice came and went. I sent multiple emails over the course of several weeks, which were ignored.

I was trapped, with no real means of recourse. I could contact an attorney, but knew that would cost money, not to mention my time and energy. Infuriated, I decided to let the $500 go uncollected.

I built up my freelance business and eventually had a full roster of clients. In early 2023, I took on some work ghostwriting for an executive. I wrote several blog posts over the course of a month, some of which were published quickly on the company’s website.

I sent an invoice for $3,500, copying an individual in the company’s accounts payable department. When the invoice was three days past due, I sent a friendly reminder. No response.

Unlike my prior experience, I knew I’d need to take action to get my $3,500. Since I freelance full time, $3,500 was a significant portion of my income for the month — and for many freelancers would be the difference between making rent or buying groceries. I began to think about my next steps, such as contacting the company’s CEO, to see if I could get someone’s attention. I also wondered how I was going to cover the $3,500 gap in my bank account.

Though I sent several reminders, the company dragged its feet on the process until finally, I was paid 39 days after I’d sent the original invoice — far outside the terms of the contract or my planned budget.

Whether it was because of greed, indifference or regret, in both instances, I held up my end of the signed contract — but my clients did not hold up theirs. If I had been a W-2 employee, there’d be no question that I’d be paid, entitled to wages or salary under the law.

It’s an all-too-common scenario: Freelancers being ghosted altogether or not paid at all for their work.

According to Upwork, 60 million Americans freelanced in 2022, making up 39% of the total workforce and contributing $1.35 trillion to the economy. Many people freelance because they love the freedom. But, at least in my circle, others have turned to freelancing as an alternative in a tumultuous job market.

I’ve heard nightmare stories about chasing clients for payment. We’re talking about late payments that threaten livelihoods, including the ability to pay mortgage/rent and bills.

I was elated to hear about the Illinois Freelance Worker Protection Act (HB1122). The legislation provides basic protections to freelancers, including requiring clients to pay within 30 days of the work’s completion unless otherwise stated in the contract, and it provides for damages if freelancers aren’t paid on time. Clients can’t retaliate against freelancers who pursue payment. and the Illinois Department of Labor can investigate entities that repeatedly violate the law.

When the bill passed the Illinois House and Senate, I breathed a sigh of gratitude. State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, and state Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, D-Chicago, championed the bill because they recognized the value of freelancers and the shortcomings in state law that often leave freelancers struggling to collect payment.

The model works: New York City’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act contains similar provisions and helped freelancers collect more than $2 million in late and delinquent payments over the past few years. Cities like Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, have recently passed their own laws. Illinois now has the chance to be the first state to enact these protections on a broader scale.

I urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign this bill into law, which will mean more stability for freelancers and require their clients to honor the terms of contracts. Most important, it recognizes that even though we’re not full-time employees, we’re still workers who deserve to be paid.

Anna Burgess Yang is a freelance writer and journalist living in Aurora.

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The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chicago Sun-Times or any of its affiliates.

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Illinois

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Won’t Blame Refs for Michigan State Loss

Published

4 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Won’t Blame Refs for Michigan State Loss

For all the scowls, snarls and shouts coming from the Illinois sideline Sunday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan, Illini coach Brad Underwood was, by comparison, a picture of zen-like contentment by the time he hit the postgame presser following his club’s 80-78 loss to Michigan State.

“Anybody in here expected anything different?” Underwood said with a weary smile to open his remarks. “A good college basketball game.”

Many Illini fans thought not. Social media was bustling in the aftermath with hot takes howling over the foul calls against Illinois and memes clowning the game officials. Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis fouled out after just nine minutes of game action, and a critical technical foul was issued by referee Jeffrey Anderson on the Illinois bench in the late stages as the Illini were gamely clawing back into the game with Jakucionis on the sideline.

But when given the opportunity in his media session, Underwood – though disappointed – wouldn’t pile on.

“They teed our bench. Their guy was up, but our guys got the T,” Underwood said. “So I didn’t get the T – it was considered on our bench. Unfortunate. Two-point game. But Jeff’s a great official. He’s one of the best in the country.”

As for the whistles on Jakucionis, Underwood gave the officials further grace – mostly.

Kasparas Jakucionis fouled out with just three points on the day. pic.twitter.com/C39xjMWU5G
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 19, 2025

“I’m not gonna go there without … especially ’til I watch the film,” he said. “But the fourth one was awful. I’ll say that he got shoved in the back and pushed into a guy. And I mean, that one was just gross. Gross. I mean, how?”

If Underwood seemed oddly content as he offered his postgame thoughts, it’s likely because he could be observed extrapolating in real time what his Illini squad will be capable of when fully galvanized and facing something even slightly more favorable than Sunday’s dire game circumstances (including center Tomislav Ivisic playing through a nasty case of strep throat).

“I thought we handled a lot of tough situations today pretty well,” he said. “Best player in the game played [nine] minutes. You saw just a little bit of what he could do when he was in – just controlled the whole game with pick-and-rolls and passes. And, unfortunately, today he didn’t get a play.”

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Illinois

WATCH: Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo Speaks After Win Over Illinois

Published

12 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

WATCH: Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo Speaks After Win Over Illinois

EAST LANSING, Mich. — No. 12 Michigan State got the test that many were waiting for when it hosted No. 19 Illinois on Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans passed the test, defeating the Fighting Illini 80-78 with an admirable second-half effort.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who had been quite critical of his team after its win over Penn State on Wednesday, was in much better spirits in his postgame press conference on Sunday.

You can watch below:

Below is a partial transcript from Izzo’s opening statement of his presser:

Izzo: “Wow, just another day in paradise, I guess. But I hope our fans appreciated one of the better games. I mean, it was a crazy game, and I know we were both complaining about calls and this and that, but I thought two teams really competed. I said this before the game, and now I’ll say it after the game: I really do believe they’re the best team in the league right now. I’m not slighting us,I’m not sliding Purdue, I’m not slighting Michigan or anyone else. I just think, right now, that was a tough teamto play. And we did make some mistakes early that really bothered us, because they were scouting report mistakes. And then we missed some free throws early, and they made some shots. I mean, the kid, [Will] Riley, has not been playing well lately, and he had 16 and a halftime. He was unbelievable. And you have Kasparas [Jakucionis], got in foul trouble, that helped us, I mean, there’s no question about it. I love the kid [Dra] Gibbs-Lawhorn, tough. I mean, they play hard – [Morez] Johnson – they play hard, but we did a hell of a job on [Ben] Humrichous. … Had a lot of good players. I thought we did a decent job on [Kylan] Boswell. We didn’t take many 3s, it was because of the way they guarded. We thought we could go inside, we did. We weren’t very good in rebounding in the first 10 minutes of the game. They scored 26 points. Second 10, they scored 10 points, and we ended up losing the rebound battle by 1. But that team is really good; we’re both 1, 2 in the league in rebounding.”

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Illinois

3 Keys to an MSU Win Against Illinois

Published

19 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

The No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (15-2, 6-0) will be featured in a pivotal top 25 Big Ten matchup as they host the No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (13-4, 4-2) at the Breslin Center on Sunday afternoon. For the Spartans to win their 11th-straight, they will need to accomplish these three keys.

Limit Illini Freshman Guard Kasparas Jakucionis

The Illini possess one of the top players in the country and projected first-round pick in next year’s NBA Draft. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis is the real deal, leading the team in both points per game (16.7) and assists (5.4). He will be the one to cause issues against a strong Spartans defense.

Prior to joining Illinois, Jakucionis was the youngest person ever to play for the European powerhouse, Barcelona, of the ACB or Spanish Basketball Clubs Association. He holds strong experience overseas at the pro level and has the potential to be a star in the Big Ten and NBA.

It will be nearly impossible to silence the Illini’s best player, but slowing him down could be a factor in the game, especially with the lingering injury he may still have.

Jakucionis suffered a left forearm injury in the first week of January against Washington, missed the next two games, and quickly responded well with 21 points in their most recent game against Indiana. It will be telling in the first several minutes what his health status will be for the contest.

Spartans Three or More Scorers in Double Figures

The Spartans have thrived all season long in terms of scoring distribution and having multiple guys step up when they are needed. During their 10-game win streak, Michigan State has had three or more double-digit scorers in nine of those contests. They must find a way to get everyone involved.

The usual suspects have been senior guard Jaden Akins (14.2 ppg) and freshman guard Jase Richardson (9.6 ppg). It will be up to them to get the scoring started early and quickly work the rest of the roster into the scoring rotation, being effective all over the floor.

Keep Illini Under 80 Total Points

The biggest strength for this Illini team is its potent offensive attack. It is the No. 2 team in the conference in terms of average points per game at 87.3 and is the top team in the conference in point differential at +20. If the Spartans’ defense shows up, they will have a great chance to earn a win.

The magic number is 80 points for the Spartan defense. The Illini are 1-3 this season when scoring less than 80 points, the lone win coming against Oakland in a 66-54 final. They are an up-tempo group that must score big to win games.

With a Spartan offense that averages just over 81 points per game, they will need to hit their average while forcing a serviceable number of turnovers and keeping them off the board as much as. possible. Not to mention, the Illini are 14th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (45%).

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