Farmworker Exclusion from Workers' Compensation Coverage Deemed Unconstitutional

N.M. Field and Dairy Laborers Win Right To Workers’ Comp—Court Calls Exemption ‘Absurd’

BY JOSEPH SORRENTINO

New Mexico dairy farm work can be hazardous.   (Joseph Sorrentino)

The New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled in June that excluding field and ranch workers from workers’ comp protection is unconstitutional. It was the second victory for New Mexico’s farmworkers in less than a year—and that’s big news in a low-wage sector made up primarily of immigrant workers, where victories tend to be few and far between.

The first victory came last August when farmworkers finally started getting paid the correct minimum wage. Farmworkers were routinely, and incorrectly, paid the federal minimum when they were entitled to the New Mexican minimum wage, which is 25 cents per hour higher. It only amounts to $8 or $10 a week, but it is significant for these workers, who are among the poorest in the United States.

And now, after six years of legal battles, the state Court of Appeals has upheld a District Court ruling that New Mexico’s farmworkers are not to be excluded from workers’ comp protection.

Read the full article here.

Ground to Dust: Fracking, Silicosis, and the Politics of Public Health

Attempts to block new standards for exposure to silica dust highlight tensions between public health and corporate power in America’s fracking boom.

In the bitter cold, residents of North Dakota protest against fracking in February 2014. Photograph: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.co.uk/

Michael Halpern

Wednesday 15 July 2015 12.27 EDT Last modified on Thursday 16 July 2015 11.18 EDT

Let me tell you an outrageous yet all-too-common tale of how public health science is politicized to serve powerful interests. There are many poison pills attached to a recent funding bill passed by a U.S. Senate committee, but none taste as bitter to scientists and advocates of worker safety as a provision that would prevent the government from protecting workers from exposure to silica dust.
Silica dust is created through construction, mining and other industries that grind down rock, concrete, masonry and sand. Over-exposure to the dust causes an irreversible scarring of the lungs called silicosis. Approximately 2.2 million American workers are exposed to this hazard, and this contributed to the death of 1,437 Americans from silicosis between 2001 and 2010.
It also leads to other diseases. The U.K. Health and Safety Executive estimates that around 600 British people die each year from lung cancer associated with silica dust exposure. Yet with the proper equipment, this disease is completely preventable. We don’t need one single death. Not one. 

Read the full article here.

Nurses Decrying Workplace Violence

Unions representing nurses and hotel workers are raising awareness at the CAL/OSHA office and trying to get legislation that will reduce workplace violence.

Many people don't realize just how bad the problem is for nurses and other health care workers, as well as those working in housekeeping, but according to this article, "more than 19,000 healthcare workers report being assaulted annually or one every 30 minutes."

Read the full article.

Newest Studies Show Significant Health Risks from Office Photocopiers

Find out more at this health and safety website.

Gouvernor Cuomo Unveils Task Force to Protect Immigrant Workers

Here

E-Waste Recycling Workersat Risk for Take-Home Toxins

Green doesn't always mean safe.  Workers in recycling centers can be exposed to hazardous material in levels that can affect their helath and the health of their family members, if the residue remains on their clothes, when they return home at the end of the day.  Click here for the full article.

Injured on the Job?: An Employee's Guide to Workers' Compensation in New York State

Here is the link to the New York State Guide for workers to navigate the Workers' Comp System.