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In many cities around the country, temporary workers are on the rise. In a difficult economy, many workers are happy to get any type of work, no matter what it is. However, this unfortunately often results in a much higher likelihood of injuries and after a temporary worker is injured, it becomes much more difficult to receive a workers compensation settlement from a company that does not consider you an “employee”.
That is unfortunately one of the new realities of today: more workers are considered temporary and as such have fewer rights and protections then they used to. These temporary workers include immigrants and other people who need work and are willing to take whatever they can get. Near Philadelphia in Easton, there is a large concentration of such temporary workers. A recent study showed that over the last ten years, there has been a huge increase in blue-collar temp jobs and a steep decline in white-collar temp jobs. The problem is the workers are being paid less and afforded fewer protections than they would have as full time employees. Further, when a temporary worker is injured, instead of receiving workers compensation, they are much more likely to simply be laid off.
If a temporary worker is laid off because of an injury, they must often file a lawsuit to get the workers compensation benefits to which they are entitled under state law. Often, it may not initially be clear who the suit should be brought against: the temp agency or the owner of the location where the work was being done. For that reason, after being injured the worker should try to seek out a worker’s compensation settlement attorney as soon as possible, in order to receive the much needed assistance. That way, the worker can receive the compensation that is legally theirs.
Source: The Nation, “The Expendables: How the Temps Who Power Corporate Giants Are Getting Crushed,” Michael Grabell, July 1, 2013