Quote of the day
"One slip at work, push one button wrong, make one turn on the road wrong, and you're going to be in this hellhole — workers' comp."
West Virginia state Del. Mel Kessler, to state workers at a Presidents Day rally at the state capitol
Mountain State Legislator: BrickStreet a ‘Brick Wall’
As public workers rally at the West Virginia state capitol building, freshman Democrat Del. Mel Kessler fires up the crowd with one of his favorite themes — workers’ compensation, blasting the state’s privatized workers’ comp system under BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co. as a “hellhole.” Beckley Register-Herald
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New ‘Well Note’ Targets Lost-Time in Great Britain
In the U.K., where officials estimate that 36 million days are lost to occupational ill-health annually, general practitioners will be required to tell employers of sick patients what tasks they can perform in a new “well note” designed to reduce the number of people on incapacity benefit. The replacement of a traditional “sick note” is expected to be met with controversy by doctors. By Francis Elliott, Times (U.K.)
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Korea Electronics Firm Must Pay Bullied Worker
A Seoul court rules in favor of a former LG Electronics employee who filed a lawsuit against corporate executives for neglecting reports of bullying against him, and then firing him. In a separate case where the president of the company sued the worker in 2000 over fabricating bullying e-mail, the court cleared the worker, who was accused when he filed a case with the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service over being bullied and used the email as proof. By Bae Ji-sook, Korea Times
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Notorious Case Spurs Petition Drive for Workplace Violence Laws
A Windsor, Ont., woman launches a petition drive intended to spur employers to strengthen laws against workplace violence, in the continuing wake of the murder of a nurse in 2005 by a former boyfriend, a hospital anesthesiologist. By Grace Macaluso, Windsor Star [with photo] Go to the Full Story…
ACT Judge Asks Government to Review Workers’ Comp Laws
An Australian magistrate is urging the government to review its workers’ compensation laws, after ruling that modifications to a quadriplegic former jockey’s home were not covered by the legislation. By Victor Violante, Canberra Times
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Advocates Rally at Mississippi Capitol for Better Benefits
Members of the Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights rally at the state capitol for increased workers’ comp benefits. The group is calling for state lawmakers to increase comp days for injured workers from 450 to 500. By David Kenney, WLBT-TV (Jackson) [with photo] Go to the Full Story…