State Sues Indiana Bell for Suspending Injured Workers

The state has filed a lawsuit against AT&T’s Indiana operating unit, alleging it has a policy of suspending workers who report work-related injuries.

The Indianapolis Business Journal reported the state Department of Labor filed the lawsuit against Indiana Bell Telephone Co. in Marion County Circuit Court on July 24. The lawsuit alleges three men – Daniel Drummond, Shon Payne and William Ingram – each were suspended one day without pay after filing injury reports, in violation of federal and state laws.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter says the company doesn’t suspend employees for reporting work-related injuries.

“Employees may be suspended, however, for violating our safety rules and policies, on which they are trained,” he said.

Drummond, a technician, missed 22 days of work after he suffered a severely sprained knee and ankle when he slipped on a clear substance at a Walmart, the lawsuit said. Payne, a technician, cut his finger when using a rope to close an attic door at a house in February. Ingram, a customer services specialist, injured his arm while trying to put a ladder in a truck in October, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit alleges Indiana Bell discriminated against the three “because they exercised their right to report a work-related injury to Indiana Bell management.”

The lawsuit seeks money for lost wages, benefits and expenses, as well as unspecified punitive damages.