What Union Members Should Know About Workers' Comp

What Union Members Should Know About Workers’ Comp

Video transcript:

Hello. My name is Mike Dryden. I’m the head of the Workers’ Compensation department at Willig Williams & Davidson. Today I’d like to talk to unionized employees in Pennsylvania. The workers’ compensation law in Pennsylvania really only does two things. It provides wage loss benefits for any time out of work due to a work injury, and it provides medical coverage for the work injury. So if you suffer an injury to your shoulder, and because of that injury, you can’t return to work, you get your medical bills for the shoulder injury paid for by the insurance carrier responsible for your employer, and you get your wage loss benefits paid by that insurance carrier as well. They’re the only two things that the workers compensation law provides. It does not require that your pension contribution continue to be made, it does not require that you continue to receive health insurance. It does not require that your seniority be maintained. All of those issues are addressed in your collective bargaining agreement. One of the first things we advise unionized clients to do after they come to us from a work injury is to get their collective bargaining agreement and see what the rights of a disabled employee are. See if there are sections in there specific for injury, for injuries that are suffered on the job, but to completely know what your rights are after a work injury, when you’re a unionized employee, you need to know more than just the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act, you need to also understand what your rights are under your collective bargaining agreement. Because our law firm is a labor law firm, as well as handling workers compensation cases, we’re in a really good position to be able to evaluate your rights under that collective bargaining agreement in addition to your rights under the Pennsylvania workers compensation law. While you can make sure that you get that contract the CBA and review the collective bargaining agreement to see what your rights are from your union agreement, we are in a position to discuss those with you along with your rights under the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. If you have questions following a work injury regarding either one your rights under the collective bargaining agreement that’s applicable to you and your employer, or under the state workers compensation law, we’re here to be consulted, please feel free to give us a call. Thank you.