Quote of the day
"The bottom line is that UPS has a 'no accommodation' policy; that's what we allege. Regardless of the outcome of this case, what a small business owner should take from it is you need to take requests very seriously and try to see what you can do to keep that worker in the fold. A written policy is no good if it's not being implemented."
Christian Bagin, attorney, about a class action against UPS for allegedly only allowing injured workers with no medical restrictions to return to work.
Class Action Targets UPS Return-to-Work Policies
A federal judge in Pittsburgh grants class-action status to a lawsuit alleging that United Parcel Service Inc. failed to help disabled employees return to work by modifying working conditions. The suit specifically contends that UPS had an unwritten policy that allowed employees to return to work only if they had no medical restrictions. By Kris B. Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Times via MLive.com
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Texas Private Equity Firm Buys Procura
Dallas-based Brazos Private Equity Partners LLC announces its acquisition of a majority stake in Procura Management Inc., a Pennsylvania firm that in-part controls medical costs related to workers’ compensation. By Jason Roberson, Dallas Morning News
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Missouri Has New Workers’ Comp Boss
Missouri’s new workers’ compensation director, Jeff Buker, has worked on various division projects in the past year and a half involving self-insurance and the state’s troubled Second Injury Fund, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations says. By AP via Jefferson City News Tribune
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New Hampshire Workers Face Fraud Charges
Two New Hampshire residents face charges of fraudulently collecting workers’ compensation insurance payments while working. Each faces a potential prison sentence. By AP via WCAX-TV (Burlington, Vt.)
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Commentary: BC Employers Get Rate Cut, Still Need to Cut Injuries
WorkSafe BC’s proposed 7.6-percent rate cut will drop average premiums to their lowest rate in more than 30 years, giving businesses in the province a further competitive advantage. But there still is significant work to be done toward cutting workers’ injury and death rates, which remain unchanged since 2002. Vancouver Sun
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Australia: Can Jockey Strike Be Averted?
Although they have vowed to strike unless they are granted full workers’ compensation coverage, the Tasmanian Thoroughbred Racing Council remains hopeful the state’s horse jockeys will ride this weekend. ABC Tasmania
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Perdue Workers Say Medical Centers Pose Conflict of Interest
Workers at a Delaware Perdue Farms processing plant say onsite wellness centers present a potential conflict: the same doctors taking care of the workers’ private medical needs also are in charge of treating them for work-related injuries on behalf of their employer. By Luladey B. Tadesse and Rachael Jackson, News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) [With Photos] Go to the Full Story…