Firms Sue to Block Illinois Virus Benefits for Essential Workers

  • State among several to expand workers’ compensation laws
  • Industries say Illinois overstepped authority, boosting costs
A man waits for a train in Chicago on April 3.Photographer: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg
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Manufacturer and retailer groups in Illinois sued the state to block expanded benefits for so-called essential workers who get sick with coronavirus.

New rules introduced last week -- which allow essential personnel including grocery clerks and nurses to collect worker’s compensation without having to show they contracted the illness on the job -- overstep the state’s authority and will impose significant costs on employers, the trade groups said in a lawsuit.