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Attorney General Madigan & IL Department of Labor Alert Polish-speaking Residents to Unlawful Employment Agency Practices


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Chicago —(ENEWSPF)—August 23, 2018
By: Rosemary Piser

Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) are alerting Polish-speaking residents and communities to a potentially unlawful and misleading employment practice involving private home care and domestic employment agencies. Madigan and IDOL are investigating whether the agencies charge excessive fees for placing home care workers in private homes but fail to honor their commitment to finding these workers lasting employment.

Madigan and IDOL have received multiple complaints about employment agencies charging workers thousands of dollars in upfront fees and misrepresenting critical facts about job placement, the duration of the job or the circumstances under which workers are entitled to refunds.

Attorney General Madigan said, “Hard-working people are paying large amounts of money to employment agencies for placement in a long-term and stable job. The reality is that often workers pay more in job placement fees than they ever earn.”

IDOL Director Joe Beyer added, “Unscrupulous financial practices by agencies that victimize job-seekers constitute clear violations of Illinois law, including the Private Employment Agency Act. The Department of Labor is committed to cracking down on exploitative and unlawful conduct by employment agencies throughout the state. We encourage other workers who have paid substantial fees to these agencies without receiving the placement services they were promised to come forward and file a complaint with IDOL or the Attorney General’s Office.”

Madigan and IDOL are investigating Chicago-based Polonia Home Health Care Center Employment Agency Ltd., also doing business as Polonia In Home Care Services Placement Agency. They are also looking into allegations of questionable practices by several other agencies.

Workers seeking similar job placement help are urged to review all details of employment contracts before signing them and paying any fees. Workers should contact the Attorney General’s Workplace Rights Bureau in Chicago at 1-844-740-5076 if they encounter misleading practices. Illinois residents can also contact the Illinois Department of Labor at 312-793-0761. Polish-speaking representatives are available to help workers in both Madigan’s office and the IDOL.

Source: www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov


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