Weblog roundup: unions, healthcare costs, employment at will & more

January 30th, 2005 by Julie Ferguson

Strategic HR Lawyer offers a reminder that as of February 1, employers have annual OSHA posting requirements for job-related injuries that occurred last year.
Phillip Wilson of Laboring Away at the Institute links to a recent BLS report on union membership. Last year, union membership in the private sector fell to less than 8%; in the public sector, it fell to 36.4%, a drop of a percentage point form the prior year. In another post, he discusses possible reasons for the decline. Also of interest is his post on why workers join unions.
Managed Care Matters points to an article in Health Affairs reporting that medical inflation was 7.7 percent in 2003. Joe Paduda notes that this is significantly less than the prior year’s 9.3 percent rate, but still higher than the overall rate of inflation. He also notes out that the news for workers comp is less optimistic with a medical trend rate of 12 percent.
Workforce features an excellent article discussing employment at will and terminating employees while preventing lawsuits. Thanks to George’s Employment Blawg for the pointer.
Jordan Barab at Confined Space has blogs about the rise in steelworker deaths and injuries and he also has a comprehensive post on the shocking work conditions in the meat and poultry industry, including a link to a recent 100+ page report by Human Rights Watch entitled Blood, Sweat, and Fear, Workers� Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants.
RawblogXport points us to an article on the health hazards and control measures for lead in the workplace.
Two of our favorite bloggers have speaking engagements this week. On February 1, Judge Robert Vonada is presenting a Workers’ Compensation Law Update at Joyner Sportsmedicine Institute in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania. On February 2, attorney Michael Fitzgibbon will be speaking at the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario (HRPAO) Annual Conference on Progressive Discipline in the Non-Union Workplace.