Quote of the day
"The company told her to come in the next day. So they sent a taxi to her house, and took her to work — just to have her sit there. She even had a doctor's note."
Carolina Bernal, program director of the Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies & Research, regarding an injured immigrant worker's experience with an employer that tried to avoid paying her workers' comp
Acupuncture’s ‘Winding Path’ to Workers’ Compensation
After the setback the industry experienced as a result of California’s 2004 workers’ compensation system reforms, acupuncturists are celebrating its reinstatement into workers’ comp, a significant development in the greater sphere of alternative medicine. By Gerry Shih, Asian Week
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Oklahoma Jockeys Asked to Foot Part of Bill for Workers’ Comp
Oklahoma’s racetracks are grappling with rapidly increasing workers’ compensation costs for jockeys, and one racetrack’s suggestion of requiring them to pay a fee for workers’ comp coverage sparks a heated exchange at the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission. By Janice Francis-Smith, Journal Record (Oklahoma City)
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Detroit School Board Approves Hiring Probe Target to Handle Claims
Over several objections, the Detroit school board approves the second contract in a week from a company under scrutiny for millions of dollars in questionable wire transfers from the district’s troubled Risk Management Office. The district can hire 16 employees who reportedly are being laid off from Long Insurance Services, which handled processing of workers’ compensation claims. By Jennifer Mrozowski, Detroit News
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Rhode Island Coalition Gets Workers’ Comp Info to Immigrants
In Rhode Island, the Institute for Labor & Research is part of a coalition to get labor law information to the immigrant labor force. Its most recent efforts include a brochure that provides basic information on the state’s workers’ compensation court; how the system works; who can collect workers’ comp; and what benefits they can expect. By Karen Lee Ziner, Providence Journal
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Lawsuit: Sears Canned Me for Collecting Workers’ Comp
A Cabell County, W.V., man sues Sears claiming he was fired as a result of his workers’ compensation claim, not for misconduct, and that employees of Sears treated him in an openly negative manner after he made the claim. By Cara Bailey, West Virginia Record
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Granite State’s New Law Targets Contractor Classification
In New Hampshire, a new state law requires employers to post at jobsites a definition that determines who is an independent contractor. The poster is intended to clear up confusion over whether employees should be salaried and have unemployment and workers’ compensation premiums deducted from their pay. New Hampshire Business Review
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