Archives for July 2016

July 8, 2016 by

LEOFF II Police and Firefighters Retain Civil “Right to Sue”

ZiegerBy: Jim Cline and Erica Shelley Nelson

As we indicated in another recent blog, LEOFF II personnel retain their right to sue their own employer for harm caused by employer negligence. This is one subject among many concerning Washington’s public safety personnel for which there is a significant lack of accurate information. It is in the face of that breach of knowledge that we’re releasing our upcoming “Helping the Injured or Disabled Member: A Guidebook for the Washington Law Enforcement Union Representative.”   More on that book and the free training we are providing with the book’s roll-out later this year.

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Filed Under: Disability Discrimination
July 8, 2016 by

Representing the Injured or Disabled Member Part 2: Newsletter Series

wheelchairJim Cline and Erica Shelley Nelson

Representing the Injured or Disabled Member

Part 2: Introduction to the Duty of Accommodation and the Maze of Disability Laws

This article is the 2nd in a multiple part series covering the rights your injured and disabled members have and how you, as a union or guild representative, can best assist them.  Over the next two to three months, we’ll be publishing, in various segments, information on how state and federal laws protect your members who are hurt or otherwise unable to work. We’ll cover topics including disability discrimination law, the FMLA, job protection rights under the CBA, workers compensation, disability benefits, and the right to bring a civil lawsuit.

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Filed Under: Disability Discrimination, Workers Compensation
July 1, 2016 by

Representing the Injured or Disabled Member: Newsletter Series

20150729211514-man-reading-book-hipsterJim Cline and Erica Shelley Nelson

Representing the Injured or Disabled Member Part 1: Introduction

This article is the 1st in a multiple part series covering the rights your injured and disabled members have and how you, as a union or guild representative, can best assist them.  Over the next two to three months, we’ll be publishing, in various segments, information on how state and federal laws protect your members who are hurt or otherwise unable to work. We’ll cover topics including disability discrimination law, the FMLA, job protection rights under the CBA, workers compensation, disability benefits, and the right to bring a civil lawsuit.

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Filed Under: Disability Discrimination, Workers Compensation
July 1, 2016 by

Shortage of Information Increases Safety and Job Security Hazards


Stick-Figures-Slips-Trips-FallsJim Cline and Erica Shelley Nelson

We have often said, “Knowledge is Power” and seemingly nowhere is that more true than in connection with the rights you and your members have when they are injured and disabled. Our experience in representing public safety labor organizations throughout the state is that there is a shortage of thorough or even accurate information about the rights of injured or disabled officers.

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Filed Under: Disability Discrimination, Workers Compensation