A recent Wall Street Journal report suggests that it may prove challenging to obtain successful outcomes in COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims. Insurers Denying Many COVID-19 Claims While there has not yet been any comprehensive national data on the total number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims filed, accepted, denied, or paid out, several states have released>> Read More

Following a failed legal challenge by their employer, Alabama Amazon workers have begun voting on whether or not to join a union. About 6,000 Alabama Amazon Workers May Vote The unionization vote by Alabama Amazon workers commenced on Feb. 8, 2021. Approximately 6,000 employees at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, AL have until March>> Read More

A Congressional subcommittee is investigating the high level of meatpacking plant COVID-19 infections in the United States and the failure to enforce federal worker safety laws. Meatpacking Plant COVID-19 Infections Rampant On Feb. 1, 2020, Rep. James Clyburn, chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, announced the probe into the nation’s widespread meatpacking>> Read More

Pres. Joe Biden has signed an executive order expanding protections designed to help keep workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Order Calls for Guidance from OSHA An executive order is a means by which a president issues directives to manage operations of the federal government. The “Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety”>> Read More

The Illinois General Assembly has extended a COVID-19 law making it easier for essential employees to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. “Rebuttable Presumption” for Frontline Workers House Bill 2455 was passed in May 2020. The COVID-19 law created a “rebuttable presumption” that frontline workers, first responders, and essential employees who sustained injury because of a>> Read More

GWC attorney Harris L. Elliott has obtained a favorable trial award for a union carpenter who was wrongfully denied workers’ compensation benefits after being injured on the job. Union Carpenter Seriously Hurt in Job Site Fall On January 15, 2019, GWC’s client, a 55-year-old union carpenter, arrived at an Indiana job site where he had been employed for>> Read More

A new ballot measure has passed in California that classifies drivers for Uber, Lyft, and other gig economy companies as independent contractors instead of as employees. Uber and Lyft Sponsored Bill On Election Day, 58 percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, a ballot measure that allows gig economy companies to continue classifying their drivers>> Read More

The Illinois Supreme Court’s recent ruling in a workers’ compensation claim may set a precedent that could allow for “positional risk” to be compensable in the state. Claimant McAllister Injured Knee by Standing Up In McAllister v. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, the claimant was working as a restaurant sous chef in 2014. McAllister testified>> Read More

During the pandemic, Americans have become even more reliant on online shopping, which Amazon dominates. But according to the Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal News, the company’s promise of a large inventory, low prices, and fast shipping comes with an increased risk of injury to Amazon workers rushing to fulfill orders in its warehouses. Injuries>> Read More

A California judge has ruled that Uber and Lyft drivers must be classified as employees, as the two rideshare giants threaten to pull out of the state in response. Uber and Lyft Drivers Not Independent Contractors On August 10, 2020, California Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman issued a ruling on a lawsuit brought against Uber>> Read More

Massachusetts has become the second state to file a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft over rideshare driver classification, on the heels of a similar legal challenge in California. Lawsuit Challenges Rideshare Driver Classification Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed suit against the two leading rideshare companies on July 14, 2020. The lawsuit alleges that Uber>> Read More

A regulatory agency in California has ruled that rideshare drivers at companies like Uber and Lyft should be classified as employees, not independent contractors, in opposition to standard industry practice. Rideshare Drivers Must Be Reclassified On June 9, 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued an 18-page document covering a number of upcoming rules>> Read More