Quote of the day
"These violations are terrible. People are going into houses and removing God knows what and they are doing it at best with latex gloves. [The companies and regulators] have no regard for the future that the immigrant community will be going through in 15 or 20 years."
Victoria Cintra, spokeswoman for Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, about workplace health and safety dangers faced by immigrant laborers in Gulf Coast cleanup operations
Workers’ Comp Claim Key to Father’s Denial That He Murdered His Daughter
Defense attorneys in the trial of a Los Angeles International Airport baggage handler who is accused of throwing his daughter over a cliff to her death are expected to argue that he filed a workers’ compensation claim for an injured back a year before the four-year-old girl’s death and, thus, could not have thrown the child as alleged. By Denise Nix, Daily Breeze (Torrance)
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Gulf Coast Workers Say Employers, Regulators Blow Off Asbestos Risks
Asbestos abatement workers have refused to give their name to the Sun Herald for fear of retaliation by their employers, but they have told the paper that public and worker health is at risk because employers in the Gulf Coast cleanup effort are ignoring asbestos-handling laws and regulators aren’t doing anything about it. By Mike Keller, Sun Herald (Gulfport – Biloxi, Miss.)
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A.M. Best Affirms Travelers’ A+ Rating
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings of “aa-” of St. Paul Travelers Insurance Companies and its property/casualty members. Workers’ Comp Executive
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AFL-CIO Report: Latinos Most Likely to Be Hurt on the Job
The 15th edition of the AFL-CIO report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” finds that fatal injuries to Latino workers increased 11 percent in 2004. In Texas, some Latino workers, including legal immigrants, say they cannot report work injuries without the threat of losing their jobs. By Cari Hammerstrom, McAllen Monitor
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Will ‘Bureaucratic Injustice’ Deny Comp to WTC Responders?
Although a former New York City deputy mayor caught a break recently when the city decided to drop its appeal of a favorable workers’ compensation ruling, others worked rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts at the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and who also missed the two-year deadline for filing claims may not be so fortunate. By Sheryl McCarthy, Newsday
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Unions Seek Death Benefits for WTC Responders
Because families of those who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center currently cannot collect disability benefits for as long as they would have had the had the death been in the line of duty, public employee unions in New York are pressing for a presumptive bill covering death benefits for World Trade Center attack responders. By Jarrett Murphy, Village Voice [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Proposal Likely to Score with Injured Aussie Ex-Footballers
The Australian Football League commissioner makes a multimillion-dollar pledge of medical assistance for elective and non-elective surgery for injured former players who are struggling financially or lack private health insurance. By Caroline Wilson, the Age
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Construction Worker Injuries Up in Alberta: WCB
Alberta Labour Minister Nancy Allan links last year’s increase in construction worker injuries to the province’s building boom. Construction laborers made 277 more injury reports in 2005 than 2004, reports the Alberta Workers Compensation Board. The current pace shows no slowdown. Winnipeg Sun
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