Welcomes Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito MVSPC. Centrex Clinical Laboratories, Inc. M U N S O N W I L L I A M S P R O C T O R Arts I N S T I T U T E.

Welcomes Assemblywoman

RoAnn Destito

MVSPC

MVSPC

Homogeneous MetalsHomogeneous Metals

MVSPC

CentrexClinical Laboratories, Inc.

M U N S O NM U N S O NW I L L I A M SW I L L I A M SP R O C T O RP R O C T O R

ArtsArtsI N S T I T U T EI N S T I T U T E

What is the MVSPC?

We are a five year old organization consisting of over seventy plus area manufacturers, retail, educational organizations and service providers

Our mission is to assist one another with solving safety and health related challenges in our workplace/community

MVSPC

MVSPC Area MembersCompany:

Employees:• International Wire 800• Cathedral Corp 119• ECR International 156• Empire Aero Center 200• Oneida Nation 4,700• Lutheran Care 450• Mullen Industrial 45• Rite Aid* 476• Wal-Mart* 1,500• Homogenous Metals 120• Bartell Machinery 100• De Iorio’s Frozen Dough

65• Remington Arms Co., Inc. 1,100• Climax Manufacturing* 325• Smurfit-Stone Container* 140• St Elizabeth Medical Center* 2,000• The Arc, O-L Chapter, NYSARC 654• Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute 178• Access Health Systems 35• Utica National 1,000• Golub Corporation/Price Chopper*

20,000

Company: Employees:

• CONMED* 1,172

• Harden* 500

• HP Hood 375• Faxton-St Lukes

2,843• Orion Bus Ind. 500• Revere 450• Indium Corporation 300• Rome Memorial

1,045• Bonide 135• Northern Safety 200• Special Metals

449• Utica Convertors, Inc. 200• Rome Strip Steel 166• Slocum-Dickson* 480• Family Dollar 500• Goodrich 226• Riverhawk Company 70• Centrex Labs 430• The Chamber Alliance of MV NA• Riverhawk Company 70• North Syracuse CSD* 1,485

MVSPC

* These employers are self-insured in Workers Compensation

Membership’s Total

Jobs45,759

MVSPC

Some of the Mohawk Valley Manufacturing Jobs LostCompany: Employees:• Ethan Allen 360• Guilford Mills 1,000• LaSalle Labs (In process) 350• Lyons Falls Paper 300• Rome Cable 500• Utica Corporation 300• Spargo Wire 100• Oneida LTD 1,000

Total Jobs Lost 3,910

MVSPC

Worker Compensation Reform

Goal: To partner with NY State to develop a cost effective

Worker Compensation System that benefits both the injured workers and the employer.

Presented by the Mohawk Valley Safety Professional’s Consortium

MVSPC

Our Employees Are Important to Us!!

As employers we want any legitimate work related case dealt with in a professional and timely

manner

Our Goal Is a

Safe & Healthy WorkplaceMVSPC

$476$385

$691

$1,715

$2,239

$1,117

$1,641

$2,694

$1,272

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Perryman MD Pontiac MI TuscaloosaAL

Nitro WV Rome NY Wilsonville OR Woodland CA Lancaster CA Average forNetw ork

Rite-Aid's Cost Per Employee / Annual

$536

$306

$581

$2,253$2,157

$751

$1,645$1,485

$1,161

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Perryman MD Pontiac MI Tuscaloosa AL Rome NY Elmonte CA Wilsonville OR Woodland CA Lancaster CA Network Avg

Annual Avg Cost Per Associate(3 Year Study 2003, 2004, 2005)

ConMed Employee’s by Location

New York State, 1,172 employees,

38%

All Others, 1,928 employees,

62%

ConMed’s Incurred Dollars01-01-04 to 10-20-05

All Others, $483,815,

35%

New York State, $882,066,

65%

We Are a Pro-Active Group

We have done several things We have partnered with medical providers We have met with David Wehner, the Chairman

of the WC Board We have NYS Workers Compensation Board’s

Business Advocate, David Austin, in our meetings We have met with a senior workers compensation law

judge

We participated in: The NYCAN Press Conference, on 3-1-06, in Albany The HR Voice in Albany day on 4-6-06 concerning

WC/FMLA

MVSPC

Some improvements have occurred

• Communication between employers and medical providers has improved:• Understanding of each others concerns• Best practices in medical care• Fast tracking to Physical Therapy/specialists

• Employees have been returning to work quicker

• The need for occupational medicine has been highlighted

MVSPC

Workers compensation costs 3X health costs

Why??The problems are systemic

• The current legal system forces us into a he said/ she said situation requiring us to controvert marginal cases

• It has become easier to “work the system”• Health issues are allowed into the comp arena • Doctor shopping – jumping around from doctor to

doctor for a friendly diagnosis is accepted• Judges can be inconsistent and unfair • The price of medical care goes up even though Comp

has a fee scheduleMVSPC

What has gone wrong?

• Workers compensation was intended to be a no-fault system – it no longer acts like one because:•It has become an entitlement•The system tends to stretch out

hearings •The system is not in search of the truth•Unnecessary steps have crept into the

systemMVSPC

How can the system be fixed?

We need your help – we cannot afford to wait• The workers compensation system is broken• The system is not working for the injured worker• The workers compensation system has the 2nd

highest cost• As a result real jobs, and the ability to bring new jobs

into the state are jeopardized• None of us has all the answers, but it is clear that

Permanent Partial Disability is a critical issue• Improvements have to be made now – we need you

to support Pataki’s Reform Bill (It is not perfect, but it is a good starting point)

MVSPC

Summary

Our Goal: To partner with NYS to develop a

Cost effective Worker Compensation System that benefits both the injured workers and the employer.

MVSPC

Thanks you for this audience

MVSPC

MVSPC

Questions

Comments

MVSPC