**Exclusivity Rule: WC does not bar arbitration of employee's discrimination & return to work disputes Amalgmated Transit Union v. Los Angeles County Met Transp Auth 4.1.03
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B153994.PDF
**NJ Unpublished Decisions
-LOZANO v. FRANK DE LUCA CONSTRUCTION,
Appellate Division, A-2730- 01TI, March 27, 2003, not approved for publication. Denial of the petitioner mason's motion for medical and temporary disability benefits for injuries that he sustained while driving a go-cart when he was working for the respondent construction company affirmed; the petitioner was not entitled to workers'
compensation benefits because he was "engaged in a recreational activity that did not arise out of or in the course of his employment"; moreover, the findings of the judge of compensation were supported by substantial and credible evidence.
-AMBARTSOUMIAN V. PERFECT LIMO SERVICE, INC.,
Appellate Division, A-1437-01T3, April 1, 2003, not approved for publication Judgment of the Division of Workers' Compensation dismissing the appellant limo driver's claim for benefits for injuries that he sustained in an accident while he was operating the respondent
employer's limousine but not on a specified job for the respondent affirmed; the judge of compensation's finding that the appellant failed to demonstrate that his accident arose "out of and in the course of employment" was supported by substantial and credible evidence where
the judge credited the testimony of the respondent's president, who stated that the petitioner said that "he had been with some girls he was not supposed to be with" at the time of the accident.
**OSHA: Labor Secretary Announces Plans to Enhance Enforcement for Employers Who Defy Safety and Health Regulations
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=10125&p_text_version=FALSE
**Corporate Homicide: By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman Street murders occur every day in America. And they are prosecuted every day in America. Corporate homicides occur every day in America. But they are rarely prosecuted.
http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/corp-focus/2003/000148.html
-Plant managers guilty in fatal blast
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1JmZnY
mVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MzYwOTQ5JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mw==
**BLS: Steady decline in the number of lost workday injuries Since 1992 (when the series started), there has been a steady decline in the number of lost workday injuries and illnesses; the decrease from 2000 to 2001 was 7.6 percent.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh2.nr0.htm
**Asbestos
-Combustion Engineering files for pre-packaged Chapter 11 to Resolve Asbestos Liability
http://www.gelmans.com/FrontEnd/ReadingRoom/vwArticle.asp?ArticleId=272&PracticeAreaId=3
-Lloyd's Settles Honeywell Asbestos Claims -agreement worth $472 million
http://www.mealeys.com/stories_ins.html#4
-Asbestos Claimants Reach $200 Million Settlement With Corning
http://www.gelmans.com/FrontEnd/ReadingRoom/vwArticle.asp?ArticleId=273&PracticeAreaId=3
**SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) International only: 2416 cases/ 89 deaths
-Airlines to equip attendants with latex gloves to defend against SARS
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030331/15/39ltw.html
-Air Canada rules out use of latex gloves
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030328/UA
IRRM/TPHealth/
-Occupational allergies: Allergic to work? Maybe it is the job you do
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=d43accd8-73f9-4d18-a6e5-d6dc5eedb6f2
-Workers' Compensation in Doubt for Those in Quanrantine
http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=sars_quarantined2003040
-Association of Flight Attendants Request FAA to Order Non-Latex Gloves
http://www.afanet.org/april2_letter_to_faa_sars.asp
-WHO (World Health Organization)
http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/
-USA reacts to the new pathogen
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/
**Federal Smallpox Compensation Bill
As federal health officials raced to investigate a possible link between smallpox immunizations and heart problems, the federal vaccination campaign faced fresh skepticism from physicians, healthcare groups and Democratic lawmakers. A Senate committee approved a measure to compensate workers disabled or killed by the shots. The vote of 11 to 10 was along party lines on the Republican-backed measure and came after the committee rejected several Democratic amendments to make the
bill more generous to those injured by the vaccine. At least 17 people recently immunized against smallpox have experienced cardiac-related problems, including a Maryland nurse who died of a heart attack. Although heart problems have not been traced to the smallpox vaccine, the surprising number of recent incidents has raised alarm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert to state health commissioners recommending that people with heart disease not get the vaccine. Ceci Connolly, The Washington Post, 03/27/2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34000-2003Mar26?language=printer
**Congress Moves to Reduce Overtime Pay
-This week House Republicans voted in favor of a bill that would radically alter the federal overtime laws and cut overtime pay and protections for millions of workers. (Issue for: NY, NJ, PA, OH, FL, MI, IL, WI)
-AFL-CIO: http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/ns03282003a.cfm
-FLSA: http://www.opm.gov/flsa/overview.asp
**Ratings Fall
-Fitch Lowers Atlantic Mutual Companies (AMC) to 'BBB' from 'BBB+'.
-Fitch Lowers Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company surplus note rating to 'BB' from 'BB+'
http://www.fitchratings.com/
-S&P Puts Liberty Mutual Ratings On CreditWatch Neg
http://www2.standardandpoors.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=sp/Page/PressReleasesPg&r=1&b=5&s=21&ig=&i=
-Moody's has downgraded its rating for the world's largest reinsurer, Munich Re
http://www.nationalunderwriter.com/pandc/hotnews/viewPC.asp?article=4_4_03_15_8576.xml
**NJ ICLE April Seminar of the Month - "Early Bird" Register by 4/30/03 for $89.00 Handling A Workers' Compensation Case After Lindquist - Sat. June 14, 2003
http://www.njicle.com/cgi-bin/njicle?SessionID=17&doc=/Seminars/Linquist_6-14-03.htm