You do a lot of manual labor, which means that you’re frequently exposed to working conditions and jobs that put you at risk of various injuries – and, one day, your luck runs out. You get hurt.
Your boss, however, tells you that you’ll just have to go home and rest until you heal because you aren’t entitled to any benefits under workers’ compensation since you’re “just a seasonal or temporary” worker. On top of that, you’re an immigrant without documentation.
Don’t listen to your employer’s attempts to hide the truth
Immigrants are an important part of California’s labor force. The law recognizes that by making discrimination against injured workers illegal – regardless of whether they have legal documents or not. In addition, the law also makes it clear that temporary and part-time workers (including day labor hires) are also entitled to workers’ comp benefits.
Why your employer might lie to you about your rights
If you aren’t aware of how the system works, it can be puzzling to think that your employer would mislead (or outright lie to) you – but it frequently happens. Employers have to pay workers’ comp insurance premiums, and those premiums can go up when their workers have too many injuries since that’s a signal that the work is hazardous or the employer isn’t following safety protocols.
Unscrupulous employers often treat their seasonal or temporary help as “disposable.” If you can’t come to work because of an injury, they figure they’ll simply find someone else to take your place.
Don’t let this kind of employer take advantage of you. If you need legal assistance to pursue your workers’ comp claim, help is available.