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On November 13, 1909, 259 coal miners were killed in a mining disaster in Cherry, IL. This catastrophic event, 100 years ago, led to improved safety regulations and the modern Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. The Chicago Tribune ran this story on the Centennial Anniversary. More information on the disaster can be found at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library website, and on Wikipedia.
A recent study of low wage workers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles found that low wage workers were frequently cheated out of regular and/or overtime wages.
Further, the New York Times reported that “the researchers said one of the most surprising findings was how successful low-wage employers were in pressuring workers not to file for workers’ compensation. Only 8 percent of those who suffered serious injuries on the job filed for compensation to pay for medical care and missed days at work stemming from those injuries.”
An explosion at the Mueller Copper Tube Facility in Fulton , Mississippi on July 30, 2009, resulted in a fatality. It was third fatality at the plant since 2008.
Mueller Industries has a history of safety violations.
Development of the Las Vegas Strip resulted in safety regulations becoming a secondary concern. Lax enforcement of safety regulations at construction sites in Las Vegas led to 12 workers deaths in 18 months. Alexandra Berzon reported on the circumstances surrounding these tragedies. Her reporting led to increased enforcement by safety agencies and no worker deaths since June 2008. For her reporting at the Las Vegas Sun, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
You can read the entire series here.
This is a 3-part series published in the NY Times in Spring 2009 taking an in-depth look at New York’s Workers’ Compensation system. In many ways, New York’s system reflects Illinois’.
Part 1: For Injured Workers, A Costly Legal Swamp
Part 2: Exams of Injured Workers Fuel Mutual Mistrust
Part 3: In Workplace Injury System, Ill Will on All Sides