llinois government lawyers with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against Jewel-Osco.

Illinois government lawyers with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission file an employment discrimination lawsuit against Jewel-Osco.

Chicago, IL–The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) http://www.eeoc.gov announced their legal team filed a lawsuit against Jewel-Osco and its parent company, Supervalu, Inc., claiming Chicago’s largest supermarket chain violated the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Illinois government attorneys for the EEOC alleged Jewel-Osco, headquartered in Itasca, refused to allow employees with disabilities to return to work after authorized disability leaves. The litigation further asserts employees who were on authorized disability leaves, who had not returned to work after the one year mark were fired from their jobs. Additionally, Jewel-Osco, who employs some 45,000 associates, refused to allow qualified employees who were assigned to light duty positions based on their disability status to work unless they were injured on the job.

The employment discrimination suit was filed by lawyers for the government in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, EEOC v. Supervalu Inc., a Delaware corporation and Jewel-Osco, an operating unit of Supervalu, Inc., No. 09 CV 5637. Chicago District Director of the EEOC, John Rowe, supervised the investigation of Jewel-Osco and was troubled by the inability to reach a voluntary settlement agreement with the biggest grocery store chain in the Chicago area. The federal agency cited violations of the American Disabilities Act. The lawsuit filing on September 11, 2209 is the second suit filed in Chicago by the EEOC against Jewel-Osco citing ADA violations this month. Two of the named locations in the legal actions, where these discrimination actions happened, filed this month against Jewel-Osco were in the Melrose Park, Illinois warehouse and the Homewood, Illinois store at 183rd Street.

Illinois government lawyer education by legal news reporter Heather L. Ryan.