Low Wage Workers & Workers Compensation

Are low wage workers discriminated against when it comes to receiving workers' compensation?

According to a study done by the National Employment Law Project, employees who earned less than $8 an hour filed workers' comp claims or received benefits for work related injuries.

The study conducted interviews with more than 4,000 low wage employees in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. The low wage earners were mostly employed in the service sector working for home healthcare, retail, restaurants as well as warehousing, manufacturing, residential construction, and transportation.

The study was called Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers.

It found 12 percent of respondents experienced a serious work-related injury during the past three years of work. Only 8 percent of the workers who experienced a serious injury during the previous three years had filed a workers' compensation claim for their most recent injury. Over 40 percent of seriously injured low-wage workers reported that they were required to work despite their injury. Almost 30 percent of low wage workers said employer refused to help them with the injury. More than 10 percent of low wage workers who were injured were fired shortly after being injured and some were threatened with deportation. Three percent were specifically told not to file a workers' comp claim by their employers.

Employment laws especially for low wage workers are not being enforced.

If you or a family member are low wage workers and have suffered a serious work-related injury but are afraid to report it or you have been retaliated against because you either became injured or reported it, please contact the Pa. workers compensation attorneys.

The Pa. Workers' Compensation lawyers may be able to help you get the workers compensation support and medical attention that you deserve. We will begin by talking or emailing confidentially so there's no fear of your employer. No strings attached.

CALL TODAY 866.735.2792