Every year hundreds of thousands of people end up in hospital, sometimes with life threatening injuries while undertaking a work related task. Often the injuries are due to poor maintenance and safety measures in place in the workplace as many employers try to cut costs on these things in the hope that accidents never take place. However, in the end the employer’s insurer usually foots the bill when an accident does take place as most workers are covered by workers’ compensation insurance that an employer is required to pay for. The Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions fully supports its members’ claims for worker’s comp. and offers advice where necessary. The Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions This coalition is comprised of locals that are members of international unions like the Communication Workers of America, American Association of University Professors, United Electrical Workers, the American Federation of Teachers, the United Auto Workers, UNITE HERE, National Education Association, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. It represents graduate employees at universities in both the US and Canada. The coalition was created in 1992 and every year it arranges an annual conference attended by representatives of graduate employee unions who gather to learn and teach from one another about organizing and negotiating contracts, as well as possible tactics which need to be used from time to time. In the gap between conferences the CGEU offers a forum for any graduate employees’ unions to share useful information with one other. The union also maintains an active website. Workplace Injuries Suffered by CGEU Members As the CGEU covers a wide range of occupations there are many different injuries that could take place in the various workplaces. These could include violence against employees in the teaching profession, which could lead to life threatening injuries from gun violence such as heart injuries and damage to internal organs. Auto workers are employed in the heavy industry sector where there is the constant use of machinery when assembling a vehicle which could cause serious head and spinal injuries if an accident with moving equipment was to happen. Similarly, electrical hazards are constantly a problem in the electrical professions and electrocution and severe could take place. What to Do If You Have Been Hurt On the Job If you are injured in your workplace whether it was your fault or your employers there is a certain set procedure you need to follow. This is to ensure you qualify for workers’ comp. and you don’t get your claim denied because you have failed to submit it on time. The first thing you need to do is get medical treatment for your injuries. Following that you need to tell your immediate supervisor in by filling in the required documentation. You can ask a work colleague or relative to do this on your behalf if you are unable to do so because of your injury. You should also make contact with any potential witnesses who saw the accident and the injuries you received. This is often vital for getting your employer’s insurer to move quickly at settling your workers’ comp. claim. So often an insurer will try to find proof that your injuries didn’t take place at work. Finally, you should contact a workers’ comp. attorney who will help you through the process. Why Contact an Attorney If you try to submit a workers’ comp. claim on your own you may be disappointed when you find the amount offered nowhere near covers your financial hardship. A workers' compensation attorney will gather all the necessary information together including your medical records detailing what you have paid for medical treatment and a good estimate of treatment into the future. He or she will also calculate your lost wages while you are unable to work as this will make up part of your workers’ comp. claim.
