Five Things You Need to Know: 10/3, Wednesday Edition

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) -

1) Amazon Minimum Wage to Increase to $15 Per Hour

Amazon announced a minimum wage hike to $15 per hour for full/part-time and seasonal/temp workers to $15 per hour on Tuesday, writes Mike Snider and Elizabeth Weise of USA Today. “…Amazon currently has more than 250,000 Amazon employees, and plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees this holiday season,” according to the article. “…The company has a history of complaints about grueling workplace conditions and lower wages, and has had to deal with lawsuits, picketing and issues with management tactics.” To read WorkersCompensation.com coverage on Amazon, click here.

2) FBI Agent Enters Booby-Trapped OR House, Gets Shot in Leg from ‘Killer Wheelchair’

It appears to be the stuff of movies. Along with animal snares and a hot tub rigged to plow over intruders, Gregory Lee Rodvelt’s House seemed to be out of Indiana Jones, writes Drew Schwartz of VICE. Rodvelt sits in jail for an elder abuse lawsuit (to the tune of $2.1M), but a real estate lawyer called the police after seeing a sign at the property warning of the traps. “…When an FBI agent and three bomb technicians showed up to check it out, they reportedly found a horde of deadly booby traps all over the property. Along with the spike strips and animal snares outside, there was a massive hot tub turned on its side, rigged with a tripwire to crush intruders like that boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark,” per the article. “…After navigating the traps outside, the cops blew open the front door to the house and crept in, accidentally nudging an innocent-looking wheelchair that was rigged to a fishing line tripwire and a shotgun shell. As soon as they triggered it, it set off an explosion, sending a bullet flying into the FBI agent's leg.” More assault charges have been filed against Rodvelt.                                                                                                                                                                                                 

3) Did You Miss WorkersCompensation.com's AMA 6th Edition Hot Seat? No Problem.

Last week, Alan Pierce, attorney and author; and Dr. Chris Brigham, physician and author took to our latest webinar, “Impairing the Guides: The Legal Assault on the 6th Edition” to discuss the ins and outs of the latest guide. Pierce is host of the podcast “Workers' Comp Matters” heard on the Legal Talk Network, and Dr. Brigham is Senior Contributing Editor for the AMA Guides Sixth edition and Editor of the AMA Guides Newsletter. He is also author of the book, Living Abled. To view the webinar, click here. WorkersCompensation.com President and CEO Bob Wilson and Florida Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims David Langham hosted.

4) Olympic Medalist to Speak at NWCDC 2018

The National Workers' Compensation & Disability Conference (NWCDC) is scheduled to take place Dec. 5-7, 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, according to its website. The keynote speaker will be “…seven-time Olympic medalist Shannon Miller,” who “…will kick things off with a motivating look at how the gold-medal mindset helps overcome challenges and inspires success, whether on the competition floor or in the workplace.” A new “Orientation Session” will take place at the beginning of that week, to get attendees old and new acquainted with how the conference works, including tips and tricks to get through the sessions with some extra background and knowledge. To register, and for more information, click here. Check back to WorkersCompensation.com as the event gets closer, and as more details emerge.

5) WV Rates for Work Comp on the Decline

“…According to West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Allan McVey, a filing for a 13 percent decrease in voluntary market loss costs by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has been approved and will take effect Nov. 1, 2018. The decrease applies to all standard classifications,” writes Amy O’ Connor of the Insurance Journal. “In addition, an overall average assigned risk rate level decrease of 10.3 percent was approved and will also go into effect Nov. 1.” NCCI based the decrease in rates on 2014-2016. The organization also highlighted the estimate that claim frequency was on the decline as well since 2008.

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