Quote of the day
“That bill has now been put on hold as of late yesterday. It’s not going to happen between now and the holidays or now and January 13.”
New Jersey state Sen. Paul Sarlo, regarding gig workers’ rights legislation
Note to our valued subscribers: Workers’ Comp Executive will be taking its annual holiday break starting Monday, December 23, 2019. We will resume daily publication Monday, January 6, 2020.
Violations found in June electrocution of Cincinnati city employee
According to documents provided by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, 12 violations ranging from lack of training to use of non-insulated tools, to working too closely to energized power circuits, occurred in connection with the June electrocution of a City of Cincinnati employee. The 48-year-old man was working alone in a bucket truck when he came in contact with live wires. Additionally, employees were not advised of hazards involved in the work they were performing and the employer did not maintain a written copy of operating procedures for employees. Cincinnati Enquirer
Carpenters union charges labor violations at Amazon construction projects in Virginia
The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters alleges employers at six construction projects that will house Amazon employees or operations in northern Virginia have evaded federal and state taxes by failing to carry workers’ compensation coverage, avoiding overtime pay and other labor violations. Politico
New Jersey pauses gig workers’ rights bill
Legislation pending in both chambers of the New Jersey Legislature would codify a 2015 state supreme court decision that makes it difficult for ride-hail, online platform, and other companies to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. The state is going after Uber and an affiliate for what the New Jersey labor department says is $650 million in unpaid employment taxes. Bloomberg Law
New York wants to write its own rules for ‘gig economy’
As New York prioritizes efforts to rewrite the rules of the gig economy, a growing number of stakeholders are talking about alternative ways to provide benefits and labor protections without reclassifying workers as employees, including including portable benefits programs and expanding existing programs like the New York Black Car Fund, which makes workers’ compensation insurance available to for-hire drivers. City & State
Co-founder says firm he co-founded is trying to ‘steal’ his clients
A founding partner of a Philadelphia workers’ compensation and Social Security disability law firm, who is suing to dissolve the partnership, claims he’s been unlawfully expelled from the partnership and that the firm is taking steps to “steal” his clients and cases. Legal Intelligencer