coronavirus workers News

Employers Fear Long-Term Liability From ‘Take-Home’ COVID-19 Lawsuits

As COVID-19 cases surge in the United States, businesses say they fear a California court ruling has increased the likelihood that companies will be sued for infections, even by people who are not employees or customers. The Dec. 21 ruling …

Labor Group Calls for Probe of Amazon’s Reporting of Covid Cases at Facilities

Amazon.com Inc. provided “misleading or grossly incomplete” data about the number of Covid-19 infections potentially spread in its U.S. facilities, according to a labor group calling on the federal government to investigate the company. Of the almost 20,000 employees the …

Report Finds Meat Plant Workers’ COVID Cases Much Higher Than Previous Estimates

Workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants experienced cases and death from COVID-19 that were up to three times previous estimates, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seen by Reuters. The U.S. House …

Employers Get Religion With Vaccine Mandates

As coronavirus infections rise again, U.S. companies mandating vaccinations are confronting an uncomfortable question rarely asked by an employer – what is an employee’s religious belief? Google’s parent Alphabet Inc., Walmart Inc., and Tyson Foods Inc. are among the growing …

London Is Struggling to Lure Back Workers, Says CEO of Legal & General

The head of one of the UK’s largest insurers and investors warned that the City of London is struggling far more than the country’s other office districts in luring workers back to their desks. Since lockdown restrictions were eased, other …

London Staff Want Big Pay Raises Before Returning to Their Desks Full-Time: Survey

London office workers want an average pay rise equivalent to the cost of some annual railway season tickets to return to their desks full-time after the pandemic, according to a survey. With COVID-19 restrictions leaving many offices empty, white-collar staff …

Workers’ Compensation Numbers Indicate Strong Performance During 2020 Pandemic

Because of job losses and shrinking payrolls during the pandemic recession, the workers’ compensation industry’s net written premium dropped 10% to $42 billion in 2020. However, private insurers posted a profitable calendar year combined ratio of 87, the industry’s fourth …

Democratic House Chairs Urge N95 Mask Requirement for Meatpacking Plant Workers

Key Democratic House Committee chairs asked the Biden administration to require N95 air filtration masks to protect against the spread of Covid-19 at meatpacking plants, prisons and other risky workplaces. The letter sent Monday cited research finding the virus is …

Viewpoint: Post-Pandemic: Will Employers or Workers Have Upper Hand?

It’s been a year now since we came under the relentless domination of the coronavirus. After all this time, the picture isn’t pleasant. The end is uncertain and the implications for the future are far from clear. McKinsey reports that …

How COVID Effect on Workers’ Compensation Claims Has Varied by State, Industry

The percentage of COVID-19 claims among all workers’ compensation paid claims has varied greatly among states and occupations, as has the decrease in non-COVID claims, new research shows. The percentage of COVID-19 claims among all workers’ compensation paid claims ranged …