An Equation County Workers Can’t Resist By Robert Warne - April 10, 2003Contra Costa officials are dealing with a similar workers’ compensation issue that the City of Fresno started to tackle at the first of the year.
With shrinking budgets—contracts structured to guarantee employees more take home pay while on work comp than while working—are going out of style fast.
The county’s Risk Management Department recently completed a study that compared its workers’ compensation costs to six other surrounding counties.
The study concluded that out of Alameda, San Mateo, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties, Contra Costa is the most generous to its workers.
According to the Contra Costa Times, the study also revealed Contra Costa’s current program exceeds the state’s maximum temporary disability payment level of $602 per week. Because of a “salary continuation,” clause in the contracts cut with organized labor the county’s employees ride out their injuries or illnesses first class for a year with 86 percent of their standard pay, tax-free.
The county would like to renegotiate the its union contracts to slow down its workers’ compensation costs that have increased 39 percent in the last three years.
To re-open the contracts would require a vote from the workers. So other more practical options to lower work comp costs pointed out by the study will be entertained first by officials.
The areas include an improved return to work program, an ergonomic injury prevention program and the need to assign employees to a county specified doctor within 30 days after the injury.
County officials are going to be highly motivated to do whatever it takes to save money because they need to soften the impact of their fast approaching projected $50 million budget shortfall next year.
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