Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. v. Aldridge

Section 604 of the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act disqualifies an employee from receiving unemployment benefits where the employee is voluntarily unemployed because of a labor strike at the place where he or she was "last employed.” 820 ILCS 405/604 (West 1994). In Dienes v. Holland, 78 Ill. 2d 8 (1979), this court interpreted the phrase "last employed” to mean simply last in time.

This appeal requires us to ascertain whether the legislature intended to add conditions to section 604 of the Act by amending other sections of the Act subsequent to Dienes. We cannot discern such an intent…