Work injured on job fired with just cause

• A warehouse assistant for a telecommunication company injured his right ankle while working as a cable technician.
• Following a workers’ compensation claim, he returned to work within one month.
• He was later involved in a motor vehicle accident, re-injured his right ankle, and was accommodated with work in the company’s warehouse.
• The employee later refused to participate in an Independent Medical Exam (IME) and was terminated with just cause.
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Transgender case could signal change

• Japanese labor authorities have recognized Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity harassment as a work-related disease eligible for workers’ compensation benefits for the first time.
• Although sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination is not technically illegal in Japan, companies with employees in Japan should take notice of this case as it may be a sign of things to come.
• The treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Japan has come under scrutiny in recent years.
• Many large corporations have already implemented policies that prevent SOGI and other forms of harassment in the event such incidents occur in the workplace.
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Calls for stronger legislative actions

• Wage theft and construction industry tax fraud hurt workers, hurt law-abiding businesses, and hurt the community by shortchanging workers’ compensation and other benefits in Minnesota.
• The Construction Worker Wage Protection Act (HF1859) would ensure that workers subjected to wage theft have recourse to collect unpaid wages from contractors.
• The law would make sure general contractors and project owners hire responsible subcontractors once we place the responsibility for preventing wage theft upon those with the most control over construction labor practices.
• General contractors are responsible for safety on the project and are also responsible for workers’ compensation on their job sites.
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Postal workers get workers comp training

• The American Postal Workers Union has established a Regional Resource Assistant training program for issues related to the Office of Workers Compensation Programs and on-the-job injuries.
• Twenty APWU members were recommended by their local presidents and have officially been appointed as RRAs by APWU National President Mark Dimondstein.
• The Injury Compensation Basic Training Program provided by the Department of Labor equips the RRAs with the knowledge and tools to provide proper advice and effective assistance to workers within the APWU.
• All APWU RRAs will have gone through the formal training and certification processes provided by the DOL to deliver effective and knowledgeable training on those specific issues.
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