"This & That" Tuesday: Workers' Compensation, Race Discrimination

January 6, 2015

 

Here is the latest issue of “This & That” Tuesday. I hope you find it to be informative and useful.

 

Announcements

You can always check out my website for upcoming speaking engagements that are guaranteed to be of value to business owners or for a list of topics that I can speak on at Chambers, Clubs, Business Associations, etc. More details about the events, topics and Human Resources 4U, in general, can be found on my website.

 

Upcoming Special Event

HR4U 101 Workshop, January 14, 2015. This will include information regarding the new employment laws and regulations for 2015 including the new “Paid Sick Leave” law.

Here is a link with more detailed information on the Workshop.

 

Upcoming Events for 2015

January 6, Webinar on How to Build a Salary Structure

http://www.trainhr.com/ and go to Webinar Search – by month

 

January 15, Labor Law Update 2015, La Verne Chamber of Commerce

Information at Human Resources 4U

 

January 21, Webinar on Coaching for Improved Performance

http://www.trainhr.com/ and go to Webinar Search – by month

 

January 27, Labor Law Update 2015, Irwindale Chamber of Commerce

Information at: Human Resources 4U

 

February 5-6, What Employers Need to Know About Human Resources, Seminar

http://www.trainhr.com/ and go to Seminar Search – by month

 

February 11, Webinar on Discipline

http://www.trainhr.com/ and go to Webinar Search – by month

 

February 12, Labor Law Update 2015, Glendora Chamber of Commerce

Information at Human Resources 4U

 

February 21, Labor Law Update 2015, Institute of Management Accountants, San Gabriel Valley

Information at: Human Resources 4U

 

California has Highest Workers’ Comp Costs in Nation

California has consistently ranked among the most expensive states in this workers’ compensation rate study for more than a decade; however, California has not been tagged with the No. 1 spot since 2004. The study revealed that California employers pay 188 percent more in workers’ compensation costs than the national median and 33 percent more than the second most expensive state (Connecticut).

 

Some of the reasons for California’s high workers’ compensation rates include:

 

California has among the highest medical costs per workers’ compensation claim in the nation, and higher-than-average costs per claim for cash benefits. Since 2005, average costs per claim have increased by $30,000.

 

California’s rate of work injury claims per 1,000 workers is 46% higher than the national median. Even as the rate in most states has declined, since 2012, California’s “claim frequency” has been increasing. The increases include a higher-than-average rate of “permanent disability” claims and an increase in claims involving cumulative trauma and those filed post-employment, particularly in the Los Angeles region.

 

California’s system generally is more expensive to run because of higher-than-average litigation rates and complex administrative features.

 

NYC Pays $98 Million to Settle Fire Department Racial Bias

New York City agreed to pay $98 million in back pay and benefits to entry-level firefighters who claim the NYC Fire Department used a biased entrance exam that kept African-American and Latinos off the job.

 

The Justice Department sued the city in May 2007, alleging the exams — first administered in 1999 — both discriminated against minority candidates and didn't properly determine who was qualified for the positions.

 

A U.S. district judge ordered the city to pay $128 million and to hire 293 black and Latino applicants, provided they pass all of the tests in the hiring process. Among the steps the city says it will take to increase minority hiring will be the creation of a chief diversity and inclusion officer position within the fire department.

 

The lawsuit alleged that the exams had little to do with firefighting and instead focused on cognitive and reading skills. Because of the hereditary nature of the fire department, white candidates were recruited and supported throughout the application process by family or neighborhood contacts, and whites consistently passed while minority candidates failed.

 

The pattern of under representation has remained essentially unchanged since at least the 1960s. While the city's other uniformed services have made rapid progress integrating black members into their ranks, the Fire Department has stagnated and at times retrogressed.

 

The lack of minorities in U.S. fire departments has been the focus of many lawsuits around the nation. However, some big cities have diversified their ranks much faster. More than half of the Philadelphia and Los Angeles fire department members are black or Latino.

 

Factoids

• 86% of small businesses don’t offer health insurance due to high cost
• Small companies pay 18% more for health insurance than larger firms

 

Benefit Enrollment:

• 48% of employers say that Benefit Fairs are helpful but only 8% offer them
• 94% of employers say one-on-one, in-person interviews are effective but less than 50% do it
• 67% of employers say a confirmation benefit statement is helpful but only 33% of employers provide it.

 

Quotes

"A house without books is like a room without windows.”

~Horace Mann~