Albany tackles worker's comp

Albany tackles worker's comp

	Published : Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:53 By : Agencies Print this Story

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Top labor, business and legislative leaders and the Spitzer administration are in closed-door discussions to drastically reduce the cost of workers' compensation for employers while increasing checks to injured workers, officials confirmed Monday.

The goal is a major improvement in New York's business climate and a major step toward fulfilling Spitzer's priority of reviving the upstate economy.

'There have been productive discussions on worker's compensation,' said Eileen Larrabee, spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

She said Monday that the recent discord between the Democrats and Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer haven't derailed the talks, which could be the next major policy agreement this year. Spitzer has rebuked the Legislature since lawmakers chose one of their own last week to be state comptroller, while ignoring the recommendations of an expert panel to assure candidates were well qualified for the job.

In Westchester County on Monday, Spitzer promised to continue criticizing lawmakers who he believes stand in the way of reform.

Still, the AFL-CIO, the state Business Council, Senate and Assembly leaders and Spitzer see a worker's compensation bill as the next big reform.

'Worker's compensation is the ultimate win-win because business will save money and can create jobs and injured workers get increases in their benefits,' said Steven Greenberg, spokesman for the New York Workers' Compensation Action Committee.

The association's Web site said the maximum weekly benefit now is $400, unchanged in more than a decade.

The goals of the talks include cutting the cost of workers compensation insurance paid by employers for workers injured on the job by 15 percent, while increasing the benefit to injured workers by about $100 a week. The target to accomplish that goal is the state's unusual provision for payments to compensate workers for a permanent partial disability. The benefit can pay a worker for a persistent injury for decades even if the worker is able to continue working.

Most other states have more restrictions on partial disability and payments for standard treatments.

The talks began the day after Spitzer's historic winning share of the vote in November when he brought together AFL-CIO leader Denis Hughes and New York State Business Council President Kenneth Adams in Manhattan. Discussions have continued, often with Spitzer officials shuttling between the union and business representatives, said officials from labor, business, the Spitzer administration and the Legislature who are close to the talks. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

The recent rift between Spitzer and legislative leaders over the selection of a state comptroller hasn't stopped the effort, all sides agreed.

On Friday, Silver said he wanted to move beyond the fight over the comptroller's job and work with Spitzer on the state budget and other issues.

On Monday, however, Spitzer said he doesn't intend to tone down his criticism when he feels it's warranted. He also said he might support challengers to incumbents he feels are blocking reform.

'I will be there to make sure the public understands who actually has embraced reform and who hasn't,' Spitzer said.