Quote of the day
"I was not lucky. So they got me."
Chou Xiong, a Central Valley farmer who was fined $14,500 by the state for not carrying workers' compensation insurance for family members; in the Southeast Asian community, family members often "trade" time on each other's farms
Inmates’ Workers’ Comp Lawsuits Bleed the State
Each year, the California Department of Corrections deals with thousands of claims from inmates seeking compensation for alleged work-related injuries, and some lawmakers want that to end. A spokeswoman for state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, said the senator does not want taxpayers to foot the bill for inmates’ less-than-severe work-related injuries. By Amy Lindblom, Union Democrat
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California Senate Bill Would Help Farmers Who Employ Unpaid Relatives
New legislation in the California Senate would make family farmers exempt from having to provide workers’ compensation to unpaid relatives who work on the farm. Senate Bill 452 would apply to growers with less than $100,000 a year in taxable income. The bill faces opposition from union leaders and worker advocates who fear it would erode worker protections. By E.J. Schultz, Sacramento Bee [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Farm Workers Vulnerable North of the Border
“They can do whatever they want with me, but I can’t do anything,” says Armando Garcia, a former veterinarian who came from Mexico to the Canadian province of Alberta to work as a farm laborer. When Garcia slipped on ice and injured his back, he discovered that as a farm worker, he did not have workers’ compensation insurance. By Darcy Henton, Edmonton Sun
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Florida Protestors Target Attorney Fee Caps
In Tallahassee, advocates for injured workers rally at the state capitol to protest state laws they say discourage workers’ comp attorneys from taking cases. The protestors say a state appellate court ruling has ended attorneys’ ability to charge hourly fees, in favor of allowing them to collect a percentage of the recovered wages. By Jim Ash, Tallahassee Democrat
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NYC to Compensate Families of Slain Auxiliary Officers, Mayor Vows
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the families of two unarmed New York Police Department volunteers who were shot to death by a gunman last week are ineligible for police line-of-duty death benefits, but could qualify for more than $400,000 from other programs. The city plans to assist with state workers’ compensation. By Sara Kugler, AP via Houston Chronicle [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Commentary: New York’s Reformed System Needs ‘Follow-Up Care’
Post-reform, New York’s workers’ compensation system shows potential to be more useful and less expensive than it has been for years. But the prognosis for the long-term health of the system, like that of any of the injured workers it protects, depend on follow-up care and rehabilitation. Buffalo News
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Official Reminds Ground Zero Responders to Register with WCB
New York State Senator Martin J. Golden reminds individuals who worked or volunteered in rescue, recovery and cleanup operations at the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to register by August 14 with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board, in order to preserve the right to file a workers’ comp claim for future illnesses. Courier-Life (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
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Alabama Suit Tests Solvency of Self-Insured Group Funds
A Montgomery, Ala., attorney sues the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations to open the annual audits of self-insured group funds in order to determine whether the employer-controlled workers’ comp funds are solvent. The department responds that it does not release documents without a subpoena. By Francis X. Gilpin, Montgomery Advertiser
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‘Compensation Culture’ Even Infects British Government
A 64-year-old former minister of the British Parliament is under fire for retiring as the result of a 2005 foot injury, seeking “substantial” compensation for it, but then going on to serve in the House of Lords. “This is the compensation culture gone mad,” says a government official. United Press International
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Canada Union Collecting Info on Asbestos Exposures at Shipyards
The Canadian Auto Workers Union is collecting names of past and present workers who may have been exposed to asbestos at the Halifax Shipyards, to ensure they are fairly compensated for work-related illnesses. CBC News
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