A Powerhouse Team Of Employment Attorneys
Every day, serious employment law violations occur in workplaces throughout the United States. The law establishes important protections for workers. At FMCO Law, we’re committed to protecting employees and enforcing their rights. We also actively represent employers and assist companies in drafting, adopting, and implementing workplace policies and practices.
Our firm has earned an outstanding reputation in the field of employment law. Attorneys Kathleen Chavez and Elizabeth Chavez, a mother-daughter litigation powerhouse, lead our employment law practice with an unmatched determination and commitment to workplace justice. Kathleen and Elizabeth frequently lecture on employment law at nationwide continuing legal education (CLE) programs. Based in the Chicago area, we have built a nationwide reputation as relentless workplace advocates whose attorneys are willing to fight hard for justice on behalf of individual plaintiffs or classes of unfairly treated workers across the country.
You Deserve A Safe And Fair Work Environment
Every worker deserves a safe, fair, and respectful place of work. Workplace fairness is not optional, and companies that disregard their legal obligations will be held accountable.
Our employment lawyers are committed to ending injustices and illegalities that have persisted for far too long, damaging individuals and historically underrepresented communities. We will help workers hold companies accountable when they allow their workers to suffer discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other mistreatment. We also protect workers’ rights to a living wage under state and federal laws.
How Our Employment Law Attorneys Can Help
We fight for employees who are experiencing sexual harassment and discrimination, employees engaged in wage and hour disputes, workers who are suffering from unsafe working conditions, and those who have been discriminated against, harassed, retaliated against, or subjected to an adverse employment action such as wrongful termination. We work with clients across Illinois and around the nation.
Our employment law attorneys are aware that, in spite of the many federal and state laws in place to protect employees against mistreatment, many workers are underpaid. Many are subjected to cruel and demeaning words and actions, and expected to perform their duties in a dangerous environment. As employment lawyers, we do everything in our power to defend workers’ rights and ensure that those who violate them pay a substantial price.
We are equally well-prepared to defend employers whose integrity is brought into question by employees who attempt to manipulate the system to their own advantage. Whichever side of an employment issue you’re on, our sharp attorneys are on your side.
Our employment lawyers are highly experienced in handling cases at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), Illinois Department of Human Rights (“IDHR”), state courts, federal courts, and other administrative agencies. We routinely help our clients in pre-dispute negotiations and in mediations, arbitrations, investigations, and other dispute resolution forums.
Standing Up Against Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can become apparent early on. Even during the hiring process when, for example, candidates for employment may be scrutinized for their appearance, or propositioned as a prerequisite for employment.
There are two basic types of sexual harassment:
- Quid pro quo harassment is an attempt to bargain for sexual favors. Whenever an employer or supervisor asks an employee for sexual compliance in return for a promotion, bonus, or better working conditions, quid pro quo harassment may have occurred.
- Hostile work environment is the term used to describe a workplace in which there is a toxic atmosphere for one or more employees who are subjected to comments, jokes, gestures, sounds, words or images of a sexual nature, or inappropriate touching. Although such misconduct may be defended by its perpetrators as “teasing” or “playful,” it is not only upsetting; it is against the law.
Two important points to remember about sexual harassment are that:
- The gender or orientation of either party is irrelevant.
- A single occurrence, unless egregious, does not constitute a hostile work environment. Ongoing misconduct does.
Learn more about sexual harassment in the workplace and how to put a stop to it.
Discrimination And The Laws That Protect You
Our job as employment law attorneys is to step in when the federal and state laws enacted to protect you are disobeyed. Discrimination against you as a member of any of the following protected classes is unlawful:
- Race
- Religion
- Sex (pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity)
- Skin color
- National origin or ethnicity
- Age (40 or older)
- Disability
- Genetic information
If you have faced illegal employment discrimination for being a member of any of the qualifying protected classes, our team is here for you. Whether you have been discriminated against in terms of hire, wages, job benefits, working conditions, or promotions, or have been subjected to excessive discipline or harassment, our skilled employment attorneys will stand up for your rights.
Employment Law: Wrongful Termination
Illinois is an “employment-at-will” state, meaning that you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. Nevertheless, your employer is not permitted to terminate you because you are a member of a protected class. If you believe that you were wrongfully terminated because of your membership in a protected class, or in retaliation for reporting unlawful conduct occurring in the workplace, contact one of our experienced attorneys today.
Wage And Hour Violations
Under relevant state and federal laws, individuals must be paid for all hours they have worked. There are state and federal laws that guarantee minimum wage and overtime pay. If you are not classified as an exempt employee (e.g. because you are in a supervisory or executive position, or working freelance), you are entitled not only to fair wages but potentially to rest and food breaks and sick or vacation time.
We assist clients with complaints about not being paid for overtime work, not being paid the state minimum wage, or being misclassified as exempt employees in order to be cheated out of earned income. We are committed to defending their rights with aggressive litigation.
Environmental And Safety Concerns | Whistleblower Protection
As a worker, you have every right to report environmental hazards in your workplace, such as toxic fumes, poor ventilation, asbestos violations, unsafe water, or unrepaired stairways. If your employer does not address the situation promptly and effectively, you have the right to advise appropriate government agencies – such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – of the problem.
You also have the full weight of the law to protect you from retaliation. If, as a whistleblower, you have been denied a promotion or bonus or wrongfully terminated, we encourage you to speak to one of our experienced employment attorneys. We can help you to decide whether you should file a case in court.
Family And Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Issues
In 1993, with the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), U.S. labor law recognized that employees have family commitments that may have to be met, even if it means taking time off from work.
These commitments range from births and deaths to necessary caretaking of a loved one or preparing a member of the Armed Forces for deployment. The FMLA gives you the right to take unpaid leave for such events and to have your job waiting for you when you return. Our attorneys forcefully protect that right.
Generally speaking, employees are eligible for leave if:
- They have worked for their employer at least 12 months
- They have worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months
- They work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles
Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to FLSA principles for determining compensable hours or work. Our lawyers can advise you of whether you qualify for FMLA benefits.
Contact Our Employment Lawyers For Prompt, Effective Legal Representation
You deserve dignity and respect in your workplace. If you are facing sexual harassment, fighting a wrongful termination, experiencing discrimination or dealing with one of the myriad problems of unfair treatment that may arise at the workplace, you should not feel that the odds are stacked against you. You can rely on us to vigorously fight for the justice you deserve.
Depending on your case, we can help you seek both monetary compensation and non-monetary relief, such as a change in practices, reversal of adverse employment action (such as a suspension), or discontinuance of unlawful policies. Contact us to talk about your options during an initial consultation. You can also call our office in Geneva at 630-912-5702.