Suburban Cook County workers get 40 hours paid leave — unless their city opted out.
The Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance, effective December 31, 2023, mirrors PLAWA's 40-hour structure for suburban Cook workers. The Ordinance applies to workers in unincorporated Cook County and in municipalities that have NOT opted out. Like PLAWA, leave can be used for any reason without documentation. Unlike Chicago, there's no separate sick-leave bucket. The opt-out tracking is the operational complexity.
Cook County Paid Leave with Opt-Out Tracking
Routes suburban Cook County workers to the County Paid Leave Ordinance where applicable. Maintains opt-out municipality registry. Workers in opted-out cities default to PLAWA.
What those rules do as suburban workers accrue and use leave.
The hero card configuration: Flag on opt-out routing, Flag on balance visibility.
When a worker is in a Cook County municipality, Teambridge identifies whether the city has opted out of the PLO. Opt-out cities route to PLAWA. Non-opt-out cities apply the County PLO.
Workers covered by the PLO see their balance on every paystub: hours accrued, hours used, current available. Identical visibility to PLAWA.
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PLAWA-style structure with municipal opt-outs.
The Cook County PLO is structurally similar to PLAWA but operates with municipal opt-out mechanics. Many smaller suburban municipalities have opted out, sending their workers to PLAWA's framework instead.
Coverage
Workers performing at least 2 hours of work in a 2-week period in unincorporated Cook County or in a non-opted-out municipality are covered. Like PLAWA, the leave can be used for any reason without documentation.
Opt-out mechanic
Home rule municipalities can opt out by adopting their own ordinance (or formally rejecting the County's). Many have done so. Workers in opt-out municipalities default to PLAWA — which provides nearly identical rights at the state level. The practical effect of opt-out is administrative, not benefit-level.
Teambridge tracks opt-out status and routes accordingly.
Cook County's opt-out registry changes over time. Teambridge keeps the registry current and routes per worker.
Suburban Cook County identification.
When a worker has shifts in Cook County, the address is resolved against (a) Chicago city limits (excluded from PLO), (b) Cook County boundaries, (c) the specific municipality's opt-out status.
Per-municipality status.
For each suburban Cook County municipality, Teambridge maintains the current opt-out status. The registry refreshes quarterly as municipalities update their ordinances.
PLO vs PLAWA based on location.
Workers in non-opted-out municipalities accrue under PLO. Workers in opted-out municipalities accrue under PLAWA. The state-vs-county routing happens at the worker-shift level.
Paystub shows current balance.
Whether under PLO or PLAWA, workers see their current balance on every paystub. Visibility is required by both ordinances.
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