New York Workers Compensation Alliance

Art Wilcox of the New York AFL-CIO was the guest speaker at last week's successful Workers' Compensation Alliance fundraiser at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.  Art  Wilcox is one of the brightest minds in New York State on workers' compensation and is the key negotiator for organized labor on workers' compensation reform.  He has been continually meeting with Gov. Spitzer's advisers and the New York Business Council Corporate Chieftains on this issue in recent weeks. 

In light of the new Fiscal Policy Institute report exposing overwhelming workers compensation fraud by employers in New York,  Mr. Wilcox announced to thunderous applause in the packed room that his boss, AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes, has stated that labor will not accept any givebacks on severe permanent partial disabilities.  This is the same position as the Workers' Compensation Alliance which also represents non-unionized injured workers, often times made up of the working poor.   

The working poor are disproportionately made up of African Americans, Hispanics and single women with children.  Since they are the ones who would be most affected by caps on permanent partial disabilities, we should all thank the AFL-CIO for standing up for those among us who often times live in the shadows of our prosperity.  As more light is shed on the workers' compensation reform debate, it is becoming increasingly clear that injured workers occupy the moral high ground  while some greedy and dishonest employers ruin the system for all.  Based upon his past track record, Eliot Spitzer knows how to deal with greedy and dishonest corporations.

I hope that Spitzer cleans up the folks at the NYSIF.
It is wrong for those guys to be able to deny so many claims that force IW's to file appeals.
Most all appeals are won by IW's.
Please stop this repugnant practice that only serves to beat down already harmed men and women.

What is the difference if a person is partial or total disabled? Disabled is disabled. Whatever level of disability a person may have, they are incapable of performing normal activities. I was classified as partial. And everyday is a challange for me. I can not do what a healthy person is capable of doing. I don't get $400.00 a week. I get $135.00 and I pay for my own health insurance and health care out of the little money I get from the employers carrier. I also live within the 5 boroughs, which is not cheap. I can not hold a part time job because of my injury, a full time job would be physically impossible. And big businesses want to take that away from me. Then what am I supposed to do? Public assistance? We all pay insurance premiums. Whether it is car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, home owners insurance, renters insurance so on and so forth. Businesses want to get out of there responsibility to pay workers compensation insurance. But yet individuals have to pay all kinds of insurance premiums. And we can not cheat the insurance companies. Why should big businesses? I hope that Spitzer is for disabled people and not the wealthy businesess. Stand Firm on No PPD Caps