Employment Opportunity Project

Discrimination in hiring, pay, promotion, and termination unfairly disadvantages minorities and women from earning a reasonable wage with which to sustain their families. The Employment Opportunity Project challenges all forms of racial, national origin, and sexual discrimination in both public and private workplaces.  Since 1973, EOP has pursued equality in the workplace through a variety of avenues:

• Employment Discrimination Litigation Program:  The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee litigates cases both in hiring and after a candidate has been hired, including sexual and racial harassment cases and discrimination in pay, promotion, and termination. Our litigation extends to assisting and training attorneys assigned under the United States District Court for the Northern District’s Pro Bono Program.  The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee has litigated several significant cases through this Program.

• Combatting Domestic Violence Stigma in the Workplace Program:  The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee represents and advocates on behalf of victims of domestic/sexual violence who are denied their rights to unpaid leave and accommodation under the Victims Economic Security & Safety Act (VESSA).

• EOP Advocacy: EOP also works with the federal and state agencies which enforce the employment discrimination laws to improve their procedures and enforcement efforts. For example, in 2006 EOP persuaded the Illinois Department of Human Rights to redact the names of workers who sue for arrest record discrimination from the IDHR’s published opinions. The IDHR’s publication of the workers’ names and the details of their arrests had deterred workers from complaining of arrest record discrimination.

Click here to learn more about our Client Intake Process, Volunteer Opportunities, or how your Support will enable the Employment Opportunity Project to make a difference in the lives of individuals facing discrimination and injustice.