Quote of the day
“We can’t do our jobs if somebody is kicking my knees in or if somebody is jumping on my back and throwing me down to the ground or somebody is punching me down to the ground.”
Anne Fusco, Broward Teachers Union
‘Alarming’ number of South Florida teachers report threats, assaults, by students
The president of the Broward County, Florida teacher’s union says student violence against teachers is out of control, so she surveyed teachers and staff. More than 1,800 responded, and almost one-quarter reported having been threatened with violence by students; 13 percent said they have actually been assaulted; and half said they have felt unsafe at school. WSVN (Miami) [with video]
Several charged in multi-million dollar scam to defraud federal workers’ comp
A doctor and three people associated with a pharmacy were charged in mid-July in Newark, New Jersey for allegedly defrauding the federal workers’ compensation program in a $10 million scheme that involved prescribing and dispensing expensive, but medically unnecessary, pain creams. Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press
Missouri court rules grad students working at state university are employees
Graduate student workers at the University of Missouri are employees under the law, and the university must collectively bargain with them, according to a ruling by a Missouri appellate court. The workers are included in the university’s workers’ compensation coverage, are eligible for medical insurance coverage and must complete mandatory employee training on discrimination prevention and other programs. KRCG
OFF TOPIC
California’s crippling costs of business
In its 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index, the Tax Foundation ranked California as having the second worst overall business tax climate in the country. The state’s politicians have exhibited a tendency to take California’s advantages as a given and use California’s businesses as piggy banks. Orange County Register
Audio: Health insurance and outcomes of injured workers
Dr. Bogdan Savych, public policy analyst at the Workers Compensation Research Institute, discusses discusses how workers’ access to personal health insurance coverage affects the care they receive after a job-related injury. Legal Talk Network [with audio]
Pennsylvania: Army & Navy Club charged with not carrying workers’ comp insurance
Following an investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the Brockport, Pennsylvania Army and Navy Club and a 51-year-old man are facing more than 30 charges after allegedly failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance in 2014. Courier Express (DuBois, Pa.)