One really disgusting truth about Illinois workers’ compensation law is that employers and insurance companies often try to take advantage of injured workers who may be less educated or originally from another country. This is especially true with injuries to housekeepers, maids and other cleaning workers in hotels and motels.

These workers bust their butts. Many of them are immigrants and not all of them are paid well. A lot of them are fortunately union, but even those can get taken advantage of. With the push to get hotel guests to refuse service, many cleaning people get punished with less shifts.

This has many side effects including forcing some of the workers to have to do more than their fair share of the work. If only five workers are present and you need them to do the work of eight workers, this puts them at risk.

As a result we see a lot of housekeeper injuries including:

  • Back and shoulder injuries from lifting heavy objects.
  • Repetitive trauma injuries, often to the elbow or hands.
  • Slip and fall accidents. This often happens due to rude customers who leave a wet floor or other mess.
  • Exposure injuries or chemical reaction problems.
  • Injuries from assault and battery, often from spoiled or drunk guests. This includes sexual assault.

This is a limited list and really workers at hotels in Chicago and throughout the state can have just about any injury imaginable.

Some of these employers and insurance companies will make these workers feel like they don’t have the right to bring an Illinois workers’ compensation claim. That is simply not true. No matter your job, country of birth, or anything else, if you are an employee and get injured on the job, you are entitled to Illinois workers’ compensation benefits. That means all of your bills get paid, you get paid for your time off work and you are owed a settlement when you get better.

In the last 27 plus years we have helped over 100 workers from chains such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Four Seasons and others as well as housekeepers at smaller hotels/motels and even bed and breakfasts. We know how to protect you and make sure that you get the best result possible on your case. If needed, we have attorneys who can speak to you in Spanish or Polish as well.

If you’d like a free, confidential consultation, please call us any time at 312-346-5578.