pAge 2 | April 20, 2018 | northwest lAbor press
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
(International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X)
Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la-
bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the
first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor
Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo-
ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore-
gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in
Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Office location:
4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213
Phone: (503) 288-3311
Web address:
http://nwlaborpress.org
Editor: Michael Gutwig
Associate editor: Don McIntosh
Office manager: Cheri Rice
Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based
inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are
$15 per year for union members, $23 a year
for all others. Send a check for that amount,
indicating mailing address and union affilia-
tion, to P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213.
For 25 or more subscriptions, group rates of
$10.56 a year per person are available to
trade union organizations. Call 503-288-3311
for details.
CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us
know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by
phone at 503-288-3311.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID
AT PORTLAND, OREGON.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks
are required for a change of address. When or-
dering a change, please give your old and
new addresses and the name and number of
your local union.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
P.O. BOX 13150
PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150
Low Prices!
Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
140
PLEASE SHOW OUR
ADVERTISERS YOU
APPRECIATE THEIR
SUPPORT FOR THIS
LABOR MOVEMENT
NEWSPAPER!
whAt to do (And whAt not to do)
if you’re injured on the job
At work, you slipped and fell, hard.
Or maybe you hurt your back lifting
something. Or gave yourself a nasty
gash and need stitches. You’re em-
barrassed. Maybe it was your own
mistake that caused the injury.
Maybe it wasn’t, but your boss will
think so.
With workers’ compensation, none
of that matters. If you were at work
when the injury happened, you’re
covered. It doesn’t matter if it was
your fault, your employer’s fault, or
nobody’s fault: State workers’ com-
pensation insurance is a “no-fault”
system that exists to help you when
you’re injured or sickened on the
job. It pays for all reasonable and
necessary medical bills and related
costs, and compensates you for
some of your lost wages if your in-
jury means you have to lose time at
work. It can also help you get back
to work with light duty if you need
it, or even provide long-term bene-
fits and retraining if the injuries are
disabling.
Lost time is not a vacation. In Ore-
gon, the benefit amounts to two-
thirds of your average weekly wage.
In Washington, it ranges from 60 to
75 percent.
But you need to file a claim. It’s your
right to do so, and it’s against the
law for your employer to retaliate
against you in any way for getting
hurt on the job or filing a workers’
comp claim. Here’s what to do:
1)
notify your employer –
even if you just got hired. Ide-
ally the notification should be in
writing – with as much detail as
possible – and you should keep a
copy. Even if you don’t think the in-
jury requires medical attention, you
should notify the employer, because
it might get worse later on.
2)
get first aid or medical at-
tention. For the first visit,
you can go to any emergency room
or healthcare provider you choose,
and tell them you were injured at
work. Your employer is not allowed
to choose what health care provider
you see. In Oregon, the workers’
comp insurer can enroll you in a
managed care organization for fol-
low-up care. In Washington, follow-
up visits have to be in the network.
3)
file a claim, and follow up.
Your employer should have
the form. The medical provider you
see definitely will, and can help you
fill it out (except in Washington for
large, self-insured employers like
Safeway and Boeing, which have
their own forms.) In Oregon, you
need to file within 90 days; in Wash-
ington, within a year. Respond
promptly to any requests for infor-
mation.
4)
if any part of your claim is
denied, get a lawyer. Most
of the time, the system works, and
you’re taken care of. But if part or all
of your claim is denied, it can get
adversarial. It can also be highly
technical and complex. In Oregon
you have nothing to lose by contact-
ing a lawyer, because by law, they
can’t charge for working on your
workers’ comp case; they get paid
only if you win, through a fee paid
by the insurer or a share of the set-
tlement.
got Questions?
help is AvAilAble.
In Oregon, the office of
the ombudsman for
injured workers helps
injured workers under-
stand their rights and re-
sponsibilities, and inves-
tigates and resolves
complaints they have
with the workers’ comp
system. Visit
oregon.gov/dcbs/OIW or
call 1-800-927-1271.
In Washington, the
Washington State Labor
Council, AFL-CIO, em-
ploys three full-time staff
to provide you with free
one-on-one counseling
and individual claims as-
sistance on your behalf.
Visit project help
at projecthelpwa.com or
call 1-800-255-9752.