News Digest 3/20/2008

By: Rick Waldinger

Quote of the day

"The approach, while uncommon, was designed to tap into what people wanted to do in their career, and allow them to have a say in selecting a role that they wanted to perform. The execution was not as fluid as we had hoped, and in the end, we had to backtrack on a number of decisions."

Sandy Blunt, former director of North Dakota's Workforce Safety and Insurance Agency, about a 2005 agency reorganization in which managers and staff were told they had 24 hours to pick a new position; a consultant who reviewed the agency labeled the overhaul "ridiculous"

Go to the full story in the Bismarck Tribune

South Carolina WCC Nominees Put Law over Executive Orders
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s nominees to the state Workers’ Compensation Commission say they would follow what the law requires, not executive orders issued by a governor. An executive order from Sanford last summer required commissioners to decide payments in workers’ comp cases using standards the state legislature had rejected. By AP via Charlotte Observer
Go to the Full Story…

WSI Hires Interim Director
The board of directors of North Dakota’s workers compensation agency, Workforce Safety and Insurance, hires former Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness, from a final group of three candidates, as temporary director. Furness says he believes the agency’s problems may be rooted in poor communication.
Go to the full story by Dale Wetzel, AP via Grand Forks Herald
Go to the full story by AP via Hemscott

North Dakota Legislators Spun Consultant’s Report
Choosing to focus on the positive, North Dakota lawmakers played down the findings in a consultant’s report into the troubled WSI agency of upper management secrecy, bullying and a department overhaul planned and executed so bizarrely that the report calls it “unprecedented, either in the insurance or business world.” By Dale Wetzel, AP via Bismarck Tribune
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In Canada’s North, Surviving Spouses’ Benefits Increased
Spouses of workers in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut who die in work-related incidents now stand to receive significantly more compensation than before. During a recent rewriting of the Workers’ Compensation Act to make it more reader-friendly, the WCB also held internal discussions about other changes to the act, including raising the amount given to spouses of deceased workers to $21,180 from $2,600. By Guy Quenneville, Northern News Services [with photo] Go to the Full Story…

Kansas Targets Exploiters of Illegal Workers
The Kansas Department of Labor is filing wage claims against employers who refuse to pay workers, regardless of their immigration status. More immigrants have been emboldened by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling last year that illegal immigrants are entitled to compensation under a state law that doubles the amount of money an employee can collect if an employer deliberately withholds wages. By Roxana Hegeman, Kansas City Star
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Kansas County Reviews Workers’ Comp
Consultants working for the Kansas Eastern Regional Insurance Trust last week reviewed Leavenworth County’s workers’ compensation coverage with commissioners in an open session. By Joel Walsh, Tonganoxie Mirror [with photo] Go to the Full Story…

Worker Burned at Mountain State Plant Sues for $4M
St. Albans, W.V., chemical operator who suffered severe burns over more than half of his body after a work-related chemical explosion sues the company for $4 million. The worker claims he was not required to wear protective clothing on his arms, legs and body while performing inspections, despite Fed-OSHA regulations. By Cara Bailey, West Virginia Record
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NSW Health Workers Collect Millions in Workers’ Comp
In New South Wales, more than $9.12 million USD was paid out to Greater Southern Area Health Service employees in workers’ compensation benefits between July 2005 and September 2007, according to new figures. IBN News (Australia)
Go to the Full Story…