Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul
Raoul’s Office Seeking over $300,000 in Unpaid Wages, Damages and Interest for Workers
Chicago- Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed a lawsuit against Keystrokes Transcription Service Inc. (Keystrokes), Chartnet Technologies Inc. and the companies’ owner Lee Tkachuk, over allegedly failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages owed to its employees.
“These employers have shown a blatant disregard for their employees and for the laws of Illinois. Workers in this state have a right to receive not only the state minimum wage, but any wages they agreed on with their employer,” Raoul said. “My office will always fight to ensure these rights are protected, and that workers are paid what they are owed under the law.”
An investigation by Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau revealed that many Keystrokes employees went weeks or months without pay, relying on repeated assurances from Tkachuk that they would eventually get the money they were owed.
The Illinois Minimum Wage Law requires employers to pay employees at least $15 for each hour that they work. If an employer and employee reach an agreement on the rate of payment the employee will receive, the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act requires employers to pay the wages that were agreed on. Raoul alleges Keystrokes, Chartnet and Tkachuk violated both laws by failing to pay some workers at all for the work they performed.
Raoul’s lawsuit seeks to recover all owed wages, statutory damages, interest and penalties available under the statutes. It also seeks injunctive relief requiring the employers to cease any future violations.
Attorney General Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau protects and advances the employment rights of all Illinois residents, particularly the state’s most vulnerable residents and immigrant populations. The bureau investigates and litigates cases involving serious or persistent wage law violations or other significant employment practices, and monitors and proposes legislation concerning labor and employment issues. Over the last year, the Attorney General’s office has recovered more than $15 million for Illinois workers.
Attorney General Raoul encourages workers who have concerns about wage and hour violations to call his Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or visit the office’s website to file a complaint online.
