On May 6, a group of New Yorkers took their grievances about the state’s Workers Compensation system to the street.

In a “Campaign for Workers Health and Safety,” 13 injured workers launched a seven-day, ‘round-the-clock hunger strike in front of Gov. George E. Pataki’s Manhattan office.

One of them, Laura Gillis, worked as a temp for 10 years. She hopes her participation in the hunger strike will publicize the abusive nature of the system.

“When injured workers file claims, we are treated as criminals,” she says. “We have to fight for years to prove that an injury exists.”

You Di Liao worked in the garment shops in Chinatown for more than seven years. She suffered a stroke in 1997, falling face down on the factory floor. Since then, she has been unable to work. She spent years fighting Workers Comp, won her claim, but never received a cent.

“When I was in China, I learned a lot about America and human rights. But after I came here and worked 14 hours in a factory, 7 days a week, and got injured, the government just abandoned me,” she said. Stanislawa Kociska, a home health attendant for eight years, was injured on the job and is now homeless. She has waited 10 years for a Workers Comp payment, she says. “I am pretty old. I have survived many things. But I was paying taxes for 8 years and now I’m treated like a criminal,” she says as tears of frustration well up.

It’s no secret that the Workers Compensation system — designed as a safety net for workers injured on the job — falls far short of providing adequate protection. In New York State, for example, the benefit ranges from $40 per week to $400. As DC 37 Safety Director Lee Clarke points out: “So many parts of the system need to be reformed, but the worst is the benefit level. Very few workers qualify for the maximum level of benefits. You have to be 100% disabled.”

Sitting on the pavement in the pouring rain, Laura Gillis has learned a lot by participating in the hunger strike. “Many people are ignorant about the issues that involve injured workers,” she said.