Jewel-Osco Agrees to Pay $1.95 Million to Resolve EEOC Disability Investigation

CHICAGO —The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that following an investigation, the agency and Jewel Food Stores, Inc and American Drug Stores LLC (Jewel-Osco) entered into a voluntary, good-faith agreement in which Jewel-Osco agreed to pay $1.95 million in monetary relief to a group of affected individuals and to provide other non-monetary relief such as state-of-the-art disability training for management and policy revisions.

The agreement resolves charges filed with the EEOC alleging that Jewel-Osco denied reasonable accommodations to a group of employees based on their various disabilities. Through this agreement, Jewel-Osco pledged to continue their partnership with the EEOC to enhance workplace accommodations processes and showcase their commitment to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“For 35 years, the ADA has protected workers with disabilities,” said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “This landmark law—and the others we uphold—have empowered millions to pursue their full potential and fully participate in the American workforce. Many accommodations cost little or nothing, and resources like our own page on eeoc.gov and askjan.org make it easier for employers to get it right. We commend Jewel-Osco for reaffirming their commitment to upholding the tenets of this important law.”

Jewel-Osco, a regional retail grocery and drug store chain, maintains its headquarters in Itasca, Illinois and operates 189 stores across the Chicago Metropolitan area, as well as Iowa and Indiana. The company has a long-standing practice of hiring people with a variety of disabilities and has received numerous commendations from community and advocacy groups for their integration of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities into essential positions across their stores. The partnership with EEOC reaffirms Jewel-Osco’s leadership and commitment to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

Jewel-Osco’s Director of Communications & Government Affairs Mary Frances Trucco, emphasized Jewel-Osco’s commitment to supporting individuals with disabilities through an expanded partnership with the EEOC. As part of its broader community initiatives, the Jewel-Osco Foundation continues to support people with disabilities as a key pillar of its work through programs and organizations dedicated to empowering and improving opportunities.

For more information on disability discrimination generally, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Chicago District Office has jurisdiction over Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC is also responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.