Quote of the day
“Assaults on subway workers are a real concern.”
New York City MTA spokesman Tim Minton
Assaults on New York City transit workers surging, union reports
Assaults against New York City subway workers are up 39 percent from last year, the transit agency’s largest labor union reported last week. In 2018, the average Transport Workers Union-represented worker reportedly took six workers’ comp days. Agency officials say worker absences are impacting the agency’s staggering overtime costs, which have spiked 36 percent since 2016. New York Post
Mold, mildew in Miami federal prison
New photos substantiate years of complaints by inmates and guards inside the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami that the facility is full of mold and mildew and has a constantly malfunctioning air-conditioning system. Miami New Times
Wyoming justices affirms denial of workers’ comp claim
The Wyoming Supreme Court has affirmed a judge’s decision to deny a workers’ compensation claim filed by an employee of a home improvement store for a purported 2011 back injury. Doctors said because it appears the pain was a preexisting condition, they only gave the claimant a zero to 6 percent impairment rating. Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Worker paralyzed in tree-trimming fall earns $1.1M workers’ comp settlement
A Mexican landscaper who was paralyzed 14 years ago after falling from a ladder while trimming trees at a St. Louis-area home has settled a state workers’ compensation claim for more than $1.1 million. Missouri Lawyers Weekly [may require registration]
Louisiana insurance fraud investigation results in several arrests
The Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud Auto Theft Unit closed two separate criminal cases over the last week, resulting in numerous arrests. The unit investigates various types of insurance fraud including staged and “jump-in” crashes, fraudulent injury claims, workers’ compensation fraud, forged medical records and inflated property claims. WDSU