how can i find out my real rights as a city employee

galdon

I've been searching online quite some time, and it seems like the ways in which my workplace differs from normal is so strange and unusual that any way I phrase it in Google I can't find a yes or no. I figure maybe since there are a lot of people here someone might know.

I have gotten confirmation from OSHA that they do not inspect city worksites. Does that mean the're are no safety rules at all? does someone else handle city based safety regulation?

recently a coworker of mine was injured when a 6" hose whipped loose while pumping, and hit his leg. he had some time off and a doctor's visit on workers comp.

his next 3 paychecks were in the 30-60 dollar range, and we get paid biweekly. apparently this is normal for the city; but it contradicts what I had previously understood of workers comp. the only thing I could find trying to search were questions regarding deducting a 'workers comp fee' to normal checks (which is illegal according to the answer)


is there any resource on what changes there are to normal employee protections that apply only to city employees? Or is this whole 'we have different rules here' just a big scam?

ceres

Everything will be different depending on what city you work for. I know you call OSHA for things like working conditions, but I'm not sure they're the authority for things like distribution of workman's comp. It may be someone different and you're just not looking at the right thing.

Siska

I vaguely remember, from when I looked this up over a year ago, you are entitled to a higher percentage of your salary in compensation if you got injured due to your workplace not being up to safety standards vs just a freak accident, no one's fault. But again, that can vary from state to state I suppose. If he is going to be unable to work for months it might be a good idea to talk to a lawyer about this, because I can't imagine $60 being ok, anywhere.

What state and city are you in?

E.Coyote

I'm curious if you're in a union? If so talk to your union rep.

galdon

the OSHA thing is separate from the injury incident; originally I had tried to call them because I, and another worker have to on a daily basis climb onto a 10-12 foot tall trickling filter that has no rails or real walking surfaces (I walk on the rocky interior of mine, my coworker has glass fiber in his so he walks along a 1 foot wide cement wall)


I guess I didn't discribe it properly about the workers comp; the city didn't pay him 60 for workers comp, they reduced his next three paychecks after his return down to 30-60 dollars to 'pay back' the comp money he used.

the two are unrelated; just both are examples of how the rules seem to be different from normal jobs.

I'm in a Texas city; I don't want to get too specific as they have a small enough workforce here that if they were so inclined they could figure out who I am if I named names.

zepherin

galdon wrote: »

the OSHA thing is separate from the injury incident; originally I had tried to call them because I, and another worker have to on a daily basis climb onto a 10-12 foot tall trickling filter that has no rails or real walking surfaces (I walk on the rocky interior of mine, my coworker has glass fiber in his so he walks along a 1 foot wide cement wall)


I guess I didn't discribe it properly about the workers comp; the city didn't pay him 60 for workers comp, they reduced his next three paychecks after his return down to 30-60 dollars to 'pay back' the comp money he used.

the two are unrelated; just both are examples of how the rules seem to be different from normal jobs.

I'm in a Texas city; I don't want to get too specific as they have a small enough workforce here that if they were so inclined they could figure out who I am if I named names.

He might be suited to find a lawyer about this. Cities often follow whatever rules they damn well please until they have to pay money from a lawsuit. However I will say if goes after them, they'll fire him without a doubt. They may get tapped with whistle blower and various other fines and suits, but they'll delay and fight so while he may end up with a big pay day it won't be for a couple of years. I've seen it happen a couple of times when I was a city worker.

For you, don't get involved.

DumpShock

TDI - Texas Department of Insurance
Have the person start here. The Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) is also another entity I strongly recommend he contact. The OIEC exists so he can get answers from someone other than his employer.

galdon

yeah I wasn't planning to get involved; if he wants to fight it that's his choice. I was just wanting to figure out if this stuff is correct or not incase it ever becomes directly relevant to me given that I work in a fairly dangerous environment.

BlazeFire

You might want to look into Occupational Health and Safety stuff related to your job as well. The best way to deal with an injury is to prevent it.