09/12/2008
Q. Our company is in the midst of planning for contract negotiations. The bargaining committee has made it known it will demand that the company pay for all steel-toed safety shoes. The company does require that its employees wear steel-toed safety shoes in the plant, but the company has never paid for the shoes. The union states that because of new OSHA regulations, which have been adopted in Michigan, the employer is required to pay for employee personal protective equipment (PPE) and therefore must pay for the safety shoes. …
09/12/2008
Q. While at work, one of our employees suffered what we believed to be a minor back injury. We sent him to a clinic, which determined that he could perform light-duty work. We offered him a light-duty assignment. Now the employee has gone to his personal physician, who has excused him from all work. The employee’s physician also has billed us for his services, since this was a work-related injury. We do not know how to respond to these differing opinions or whether we are obligated to pay for the employee’s personal physician’s services …
