News Digest 11-19-2020

 

Alaska workers’ comp rates to decrease next year

Workers’ compensation voluntary loss costs are expected to decrease by an average of 14.9 percent for Alaska employers next year, and assigned risk rates will fall by an average of 9.6 percent from current approved levels. They follow 2020 rates that represented a 13.4 percent reduction from the prior year. SitNews


OFF-TOPIC

As California braces for curfew, some lawmakers gather in Maui

Several California lawmakers are in Maui, Hawaii, this week, for an annual legislative convention, despite rising coronavirus cases that led Gov. Gavin Newsom to threaten a statewide curfew on Monday. The governor has also discouraged social gatherings of more than ten people, and urged people to limit the size of family gatherings at Thanksgiving to no more than two separate households. Breitbart

 

New York woman charged with stealing workers’ comp paid to deceased father

The New York State Inspector General has announced the sentencing of a 60-year-old woman who reportedly stole more than $3,000 in workers’ compensation by forging her late father’s name in order to cash the checks. Post-Journal (Jamestown, N.Y.)

 

Workers’ compensation willful misconduct claims in the hospitality industry

A class action lawsuit against Las Vegas Strip hospitality businesses is one of three recently filed alleging employer willful misconduct in allowing unsafe work conditions related to COVID-19. It’s a warning to the hospitality industry to be prepared on two fronts. Total Food Service

 

Building company sued for wage theft, other violations

A class action lawsuit accuses a large general contractor of wage theft, wrongly classifying employees as independent contractors, denying minimum wages, overtime pay, paid sick leave and workers’ compensation, and other allegations. WAMU (Washington, D.C.)


The right way to wash your hands

Frequent hand-washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness. Click here for information from the Mayo Clinic on effective handwashing. Mayo Clinic