Iowa Business and Labor Square Off Over House Bill
Business and industry leaders went head to head with labor representatives on Wednesday over the future of Iowa’s workers’ compensation system.
Business and industry leaders went head to head with labor representatives on Wednesday over the future of Iowa’s workers’ compensation system.
Workers’ compensation is one of those great programs that provides financial relief to those who need it most. It’s a form of insurance designed to provide “wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence.” Unfortunately, all too often people try to take advantage of the system, like a state juvenile detention officer who was recently busted for workers’ compensation fraud.
However, an Illinois lawmaker is hoping to change this by instituting a bill designed to increase protections for temporary workers.
IFA president Steve Caldeira released a statement following the ruling, saying “The Board’s tortured analysis will undoubtedly be met with skepticism and will be rejected by local franchise owners, legislators and, ultimately, the courts. IFA and its allies are asking Congress to intervene to halt these out-of-control, unelected Washington bureaucrats to preserve the established joint employer standard.”