If you’ve been fired for any reason, it probably doesn’t seem justified to you. But when you’re discharged for engaging in activities that are protected under the law, it’s not just unfair, it’s illegal.
Retaliatory discharge can happen in any type of job, to anyone in northern Illinois and surrounding counties. For example:
All too often at the Law Office of Michael T. Smith & Associates, we see employees who have been fired after being hurt on the job because they plan to file or have filed claims with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Such claims raise employers’ costs for workers’ compensation insurance. Employers who fire injured workers do so with the hope that those employees won’t file or will withdraw their claims.
That’s an unlawful discharge from employment. It’s that kind of short-sighted, selfish thinking that we’re here to fight. We stand up to employers who take advantage of you in the hopes of saving themselves a few dollars.
Employees who act as watchdogs at their places of employment provide a vital service in our democracy. Without brave whistleblowers, illegal activity at companies both large and small might go unrecognized.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforces the whistleblower provisions of 21 statutes protecting employees who report workplace violations.
If an employee engages in a protected activity, an employer may not retaliate by taking adverse action against that employee.
To determine whether you were discharged in retaliation for protected activity, call the Law Office of Michael T. Smith & Associates in Schaumburg at (847) 450-1103 or contact us online today.
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