FLOC Campaigns for Fair Treatment of Workers, Including Better North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Benefits
North Carolina workers’ compensation stories often revolve around injuries associated with office jobs, such repetitive stress problems or occupational damage people suffer while working lines at factories. But today we will focus on one set of workers that receives scant coverage in the press – tobacco workers.
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) recently marched through downtown Winston-Salem to demand justice and fair treatment for the state’s tobacco workers, many of whom immigrated from Mexico to work for far below the minimum wage. These workers toil under extremely strenuous conditions – according to one source, nine people died working the North Carolina fields from heatstroke over the past two years. Many others get sick from nicotine poisoning they get from harvesting crops. Still others get sick from exposure to pollutants and chemicals or endure repetitive stress injuries.
Unfortunately, remedies for these laborers seem few and far between. With double-digit unemployment afflicting North Carolina and many of the state’s industries and businesses still reeling from the fallout of the Great Recession, it seems unlikely that major political action will be taken to resolve the plights of beleaguered farm and tobacco workers.
Nevertheless, options may exist. If you or a co-worker has been hurt on the job – whether you got hurt on a farm, at a factory, or in an office – you may be entitled to collect workers’ compensation benefits to pay for your medical care, time off of work, and other costs. Explore your options today by connecting with a competent and well-respected North Carolina workers’ compensation attorney near you.
More Web Resources:
Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)
NC tobacco workers
