January 14, 2022
Every year thousands of seafood industry workers are busy throughout Alaska processing seafood. The employer’s include Trident Seafoods, Silver Bay Seafoods, Ocean beauty Seafoods, Westward Seafoods and North Pacific Seafoods and several other companies. Some of these workers will be injured and they have legally protected rights to medical care and time lost payments. Unfortunately, some injured workers may need to hire an attorney to help them receive benefits guaranteed by the law.
Most of workers employed as seafood processors are not residents of Alaska. Some of them are not even residents of the United States. A significant percentage of workers do not speak English. Few workers are familiarity with the American legal system. Yet, all these workers are protected by the labor laws of Alaska and/or the United States. Regardless of their state or country of origin, seafood processors are entitled to “benefits” if they are injured on the job.
Some of the workers are employed at shore-based plants while others are at sea working aboard floating processors. Employees at shore-based plants are covered by the Alaska Worker’s Compensation law. Employees working on floating processors are covered by both the Alaska Worker’s Compensation law and maritime law, depending on the circumstances. Maritime law can, but does not always, provide greater benefits to an injured worker than Worker’s Compensation law.
So, what does this all mean for a seafood processor hurt on the job? Simply put, an injured worker is entitled to medical treatment paid for by the employer and regular payments until they are able to go back to work or have recovered as much as they are going to recover.
Learning how the Worker’s Compensation law or maritime law applies to the injured worker’s circumstance and what benefits are available can best be determined by talking to an experienced Worker’s Compensation attorney and/or maritime personal injury in Alaska.
Employers are obligated to pay benefits without the injured worker having to retain an attorney to enforce their rights. Unfortunately, the system does not always work the way it is supposed to. So, when the insurance adjuster or company representative does not provide benefits to the injured worker, calling an attorney is the best way for the injured worker to get the benefits they are entitled to under the law.
If you or a friend are injured while working as a seafood processor and need help enforcing your legal rights, call the law offices of Elliott T Dennis; (907) 929-4890 or email elliott@attorneydennis.com.