Bishops Decry Bill That Bars Work Comp for Undocumented Workers
Thursday, June 8, 2017 | 0
The Roman Catholic Church has come out against state legislation that contains a provision barring workers’ compensation benefits for undocumented workers.
The House passed House Bill 27 on May 17. It has been in the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee since May 24.
Meant as a biennial workers’ compensation budget bill, the proposed legislation contains a provision that prohibits benefits to illegal aliens injured on the job and prevents them from suing their employers unless they can prove the employer knew they were not legal residents or intended to harm them.
“We do not condone unauthorized entry into the United States. Yet, once undocumented immigrants are here and working, their human dignity itself should guarantee basic compensation and protections for the work they provide,” the Catholic bishops of Ohio said in a statement published by The Catholic Telegraph.
“In our Catholic teaching, work is first and foremost the very expression of the human person in the world and participation in God’s creation. When someone engages in work for an employer, that person should receive just remuneration and just worker protection,” the bishops said. “Denying workers’ compensation to undocumented workers may result in more abuses by unscrupulous employers to this already often exploited population.”
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