In Illinois, the Workers’ Compensation Law bases awards and settlements on your wage.
Here is a quick example.
An McDonald’s employee injures his back and has the same surgery as a union worker at a manufacturing plant.
Both injured workers settle for 20 percent of the person. This means 100 weeks of benefits.
Assume the McDonald’s worker earns $10 per hour for 40 hours of work per week. $400 average weekly wage.
Assume the union worker earns $30 per hour for 40 hours of work per week. $1200 average weekly wage.
The law provides the injured worker is entitled to 60 percent of the average weekly wage.
McDonald’s worker $400 times .6= $240 times 100 weeks of benefits= $24,000
Union worker $1200 times .6= $720 times 100 weeks of benefits= $72,000
Big difference in settlement with the same injury and surgery.
Questions about your work injury? Feel free to contact Illinois Work Injury Lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.