Labor Unions and Workers Compensation Make a Friend, Not a Foe

Labor Unions should be brought on-board in the workers’ compensation arena. After all, a good company cares for its employees and wants them to be treated fairly.

Tips in forging good relationships with the unions include:

1. Talk to representatives from your local unions early in the process.

2. Discuss the union’s policies on seniority and how this could affect injury management. Do they have opinions on this matter? Listen.

3. Does the union require supplemental pay for the injured? Does this come from the union itself? Be sure to document the answers you receive and be aware of the implications.

4. Transitional duty is a fundamental part of getting your injured employee back on the job. Do your unions have policies on working with an injury or post-surgery?

A good manager obtains union buy-in by incorporating their opinions into the process whenever feasible. (workersxzcomp) It is not possible to make everyone happy one hundred percent of the time, but an attempt at seeing issues from all sides is always appreciated and emanates the feeling of control.

Proceeding without any union input when implementing a policy as critical as workers’ compensation only presents an “us-them” mentality which can lead to higher long-term costs.

Further, it is suggested the company identify “collateral source benefits” – those perks your company or union offers which may enrich an employee who is not working and develop work-around strategies to facilitate return to work.

Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs.