Quote of the day
"What we're trying to do is get the word out there that this classification issue is going to be addressed. That's one of the areas that we're seriously looking at."
New Hampshire Labor Commissioner George Copadis, who is joining with four other state agencies to investigate a possible trend of worker misclassification
Misclassification Reportedly Rampant in Granite State
The case of a carpenter who fell six feet from scaffolding last July and nearly severed his foot but could not collect workers’ compensation because he was classified as an independent contractor may be just one example of rampant labor misclassification in New Hampshire. State agencies are starting to respond. By Ashley Smith, Telegraph via New Hampshire Business Review
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Keystone State Car Dealership Hit with 318 Workers Comp Charges
An East Lackawannock Township, Pa. car dealership that apparently was dropped by its workers’ compensation carrier faces 318 felony counts of failing to have workers’ comp insurance during most of 2006. By Matt Snyder, Sharon Herald
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Arizona Charter Jet Firm Must Pay for Firing Whistleblower
Fed-OSHA orders Scottsdale, Ariz.-based charter jet and aircraft management company to pay $94,900 to a former employee who was fired for reporting possible safety violations. They included failing to perform an inspection on an aircraft that landed overweight because it had too much fuel, attempting to schedule an unqualified pilot and performing a test flight with passengers aboard. By Peter Corbett, Arizona Republic
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Commentary: Firing Vet Clinic Employees on Workers’ Comp
The days employers were able to abuse the workers’ compensation system by threatening loss of employment to discourage workers from making claims are well behind us, argues the author. Today, it is commonplace for an employee to sue an employer for improper discharge on very questionable grounds. Here’s how it might work in a veterinary clinic. By Christopher J. Allen, DVM Newsmagazine
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Big Sky Workshop Focuses on ACOEM Return-to-Work Guidelines
A recent two-day workshop in Great Falls, Mont., the 60 Summits Project, focused on applying workers’ comp guidelines set by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, related to bringing injured workers back to working health. Montana’s News Station
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Union: Alaska, Wyoming Top Workplace Death Numbers
An AFL-CIO report finds Alaska and Wyoming leading the nation in workplace deaths. The rate of work-related death in Wyoming, where many are employed in oil and gas, and construction, was 12.9 per 100,000, more than three times the national average.
Go to the full story by Tom Mast, Casper Star-Tribune
Go to the full story by AP via Montana’s News Station