Apple Store Contractors Fined for Failing to Provide Workers Comp Coverage
The Connecticut Department of Labor has issued fines against three contractor companies that work with a local Apple Store after discovering that the companies failed to provide workers comp coverage for their employees.
The state agency said it would investigate other Apple stores and their employment contractors for potential workers’ comp violations.
Gary Pechie, the agency’s director of wage and workplace standards, said that the DOL put a “stop work” poster on the Apple store in the Westfarms Mall in West Hartford after learning about the workers comp problems with the contracting agencies. However, mall security reported to the DOL that employees put cardboard over the notices and continued to work anyway, in further violation of workers’ comp regulations.
Each firm, as of Wednesday, June 4th, accrued a $1,000 per-day fine for the violations.
Employer Retaliation against Workers’ Comp Claim
By law, every South Carolina employer with four or more full-time employees must have workers compensation insurance.
The protection provided under the South Carolina Workers Comp Act is only the beginning of your right to compensation for a workplace injury.
Any full-time employee (working for an employer with four or more employees) who has an employment related injury and needs medical attention should be covered under workers’ compensation insurance. It doesn’t matter if the injury was a complete accident or the fault of a co-worker.
As an injured worker, you may fear that your employer may retaliate against you for filing and seeking compensation for a workers’ compensation claim. Employees also worry about cooperating in the investigation of and/or testifying in support of an injured co-worker.
Most commonly, people think of workers’ comp retaliation as retaliatory discharge or firing an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim.
Improper retaliation can fall short of termination, such as discrimination or harassment, and may include the following:
- demotion, negative reassignment, reclassification or transfer;
- unwarranted disciplinary action and/or negative performance evaluations;
- wage reductions, salary reductions or a reduction in the number of hours scheduled; or
- an unreasonable increase or decrease in job duties or responsibilities.
Most states have some legal remedy for injured workers retaliation. The right to sue for workers comp retaliation varies from state to state, so it is a good idea to consult a SC work injury lawyer to protect your rights for workplace injury.
Possible remedies may be available through state agencies and/or in court actions. Even where legislative action has not protected such workers, many state courts have allowed hurt workers to file retaliatory discharge lawsuits if they are retaliated against for seeking compensation for workplace accidents.
Because South Carolina, like Washington, is an at-will state, employers may still legitimately terminate or discipline any employee, regardless of workers’ compensation status. However, the employer’s reason for the negative action cannot be a pretext for workers’ compensation retaliation and the negative action may not violate any other employment law(s).
The Strom Law Firm Understands Worker’s Comp Legislation
The workers’ comp lawyers at The Strom Law Firm, LLC proudly seek justice on behalf of employees injured or killed on the job who work for private companies, as well as employees working for local county, city, and state government. We are licensed to practice throughout South Carolina, as well as Georgia and New York. If you are confused about worker’s comp laws, or have had your worker’s comp claim denied, contact us. We offer free consultations to discuss the facts of your case. 803.252.4800.
