coronavirus workers News

COVID Lawsuits by State and Key Trends in Workplace Litigation for 2021: Seyfarth

The coronavirus pandemic contributed to a spike in workplace lawsuits in 2020 and the number is only expected to grow in 2021, according to legal experts. At the same time, the incoming Biden Administration is expected to more aggressively enforce …

REUTERS REPORT-Regulators Ignored Workers’ COVID-19 Safety Complaints Amid Deadly Outbreaks

Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. …

Can Insurance-Related Firms Compel Employees to Get COVID-19 Vaccination?

The long-awaited and highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine is here. The first to arrive on the scene, from Pfizer-BioNTech, received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration several days ago. On the heels of that, Moderna’s version got the …

Expansion of Workers’ Compensation for COVID-19 in 6 States Created Narrow Benefit

While at least 17 states have passed laws or issued orders that expanded access to workers’ compensation benefits for employees who contract COVID-19, many of those directives are creating new exposure for only a sliver of the workforce, new research …

Q&A on Mental Health Issues Among Employees and How AI Might Help

We are all familiar with the challenges of 2020, but we may still be underestimating how deep and wide they go. Seven in 10 employees say this has been the most stressful year of their working lives, according to a …

Meatpacking Plants Linked to Up to 8% of Early U.S. COVID Cases

As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings highlight …

Tyson Suspends Meat Plant Managers Accused of COVID Betting Pool

Tyson Foods Inc. said it has suspended managers at an Iowa meatpacking plant accused in lawsuits of betting on how many workers would be infected in a Covid outbreak earlier this year. More than 1,000 of the 2,800 employees at …

McDonald’s Plans Safety Checks of All Restaurants as COVID Cases Surge

McDonald’s Corp. will inspect all its U.S. restaurants to ensure compliance with safety standards as coronavirus cases surge again and “COVID fatigue” sets in, according to an internal note seen by Reuters on Friday. “It is apparent we are entering …

Employers Facing Wave of Lawsuits by Parents Fired During Pandemic

Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working parents have filed at least 40 lawsuits accusing …

P/C Insurers Face Workforce, Risk, Policy Challenges as Pandemic Continues

Given that business-as-usual is unlikely to return soon due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. property/casualty insurers will continue to face challenges related to virus-related insurance losses and premium volume declines in 2021, according to Fitch Ratings. The operational and risk …