Staffing firm Metro Staff will pay $1.8 million under a settlement with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to resolve allegations it engaged in wage fixing with two other staffing firms, according to the Illinois attorney general’s office.

The settlement, approved by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Joel Chupack, will primarily be used to compensate workers.

“This settlement prioritizes compensation for workers because they are the ones most impacted by these agreements that limit wages and job opportunities,” Raoul said in a press release.

Metro Staff must also implement measures to ensure affected workers will be free to work for the employer of their choice, according to the attorney general’s office.

Metro Staff has been contacted for comment.

Raoul’s office in 2020 filed a lawsuit against Metro Staff and two other staffing firms — Elite Staffing and Midway Staffing — as well as their common client, Colony Display. The attorney general’s office alleged the staffing firms formed a no-poach agreement to not hire each other’s employees and to fix the wages paid to the employees. Colony Display acted as an intermediary, which included helping to enforce the contracts.

The lawsuit also alleged the staffing firms eliminated competition and harmed temporary employees in Illinois by interfering with their ability to seek better employment opportunities, wages and benefits.

Raoul’s office reached a $1.2 million settlement with Colony Display in 2023 and a $1.5 million settlement with Elite Staffing in August.