Connecticut Senate OKs Workers' Compensation Benefits Expansion
Posted by
Dan DeutermanJune 19, 2007 5:19 PMPeople seriously injured in industrial accidents will enjoy better workers compensation benefits under a bill passed by the Connecticut Senate, according to a recent article by the Connecticut Post. The bill is designed to give worker's compensation commissioners more flexibility to extend benefits for injured workers.
According to the Connecticut Post, bill supporters say it would mean, for example, a crane operator who makes $30 per hour but hurts his arm could have his benefits extended up to 117 weeks. That person would only get 35 weeks of benefits under the current law.
As expected, most businesses in the state are crying foul and opposing the bill assuming their insurance premiums will skyrocket. The bill has its supporters in the Senate. Sen Edwin A. Gomes, D-Bridgeport, a retired union negotiator, said the bill would be a way to help workers who may be exploited by employers. "This is about their fair share and their fair dignity on the job and that they are treated like human beings rather than a piece of machinery," Gomes said.
The legislation, passed 21-15 mostly along party lines, next moves to the House.
For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Workplace Injury and Discrimination.