Can an employer legally not hire you if you are in a union and file a claim for an injury on the job?

Question

my fiance hurt his shoulder pretty bad while at work on a job about 2 or 3 months ago. he got a letter in the mail the other day talking about filing his claim. he would get approx. 5-6 thousand. he works in a union, and is worried that if he files this claim that the particular company won't hire him again. i say that would be illegal for them to do, seeing as the whole point of being in a union was that you are guaranteed work. any thoughts/opinions about this?

Answer 1

He needs to talk to his union rep.  Still, there is only so much the union can do.  I am in a union and one guy who had been injured wanted to come back and they told him that they didn't have enough work, even though they did.  However, this guy was lazy and half the people there didn't really believe he was injured.  If they did have to take him back but really wanted to get rid of him, they could also make his life miserable there.

Answer 2

I knew a person who was in a similar circumstance.  Unfortunately, the company did let him go from his job and he was unemployed for a month and a half.  He spoke with his union representative though and they got him his job back.  If your boyfriend is that concerned, have him speak with his union representative before filing his claim; that's what they are there for.  Hopefully, your boyfriend set aside some money in case of an emergency to get him through this in case he has any problems with filing his claim.