I am speaking from personal experience.

My fiancée suffered a life-changing workplace injury while working in food service after an incident involving a commercial food-processing machine. As a result of that injury, she sustained a permanent partial amputation of her dominant hand and has experienced lasting physical, emotional, and financial consequences.

As our family began searching for answers, we became concerned that her workplace injury was not handled in the same manner as another employee’s similar workplace injury. Based on what we observed, the responses appeared to differ significantly. Those experiences led us to question whether all employees receive equal treatment and consistent workplace protections.

This petition is not about one individual alone. It is about ensuring that every worker—regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, or background—is treated fairly after a serious workplace injury.

According to research by the Center for American Progress, African American workers continue to face disparities in employment opportunities and workplace outcomes. Those broader concerns make transparency, accountability, and equal treatment even more important whenever serious workplace injuries occur.

Workers who suffer catastrophic injuries deserve:

equal treatment;
accurate reporting of workplace incidents;
preservation of relevant evidence;
fair access to benefits and legal protections;
transparency throughout investigative processes; and
accountability from employers and all parties involved.
Following my fiancée’s injury, numerous questions arose regarding how the incident was handled, including concerns about workplace reporting, preservation of evidence, access to records, and the overall response to the incident. Those concerns remain important to us and are one of the reasons this petition was created.

The injury permanently changed her life.

She devoted more than two decades to working in food service and cooking was more than a job—it was her career and her passion. Because of the permanent injury to her dominant hand, she faces limitations that continue to affect both her employment opportunities and her daily life.

The emotional impact has also been profound. She continues to receive treatment for the psychological effects of the traumatic workplace injury while working toward rebuilding her life.

This petition is about more than one workplace accident.

It is about promoting safer workplaces, equal treatment of injured employees, preservation of evidence when serious injuries occur, transparency throughout workplace investigations, and meaningful accountability for employers and institutions responsible for protecting workers.

No employee should ever feel that their injury, their voice, or their future matters less than someone else’s.

Please stand with injured workers everywhere.

Support equal treatment.

Support workplace transparency.

Support accountability.

Together, we can encourage meaningful change that protects future workers and helps ensure that every injured employee is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.

Please sign and share this petition.