The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred on a variety of workplace maladies, including “the great resigna tion,” “quiet quitting,” “overemployment,” labour shortages and conflicts be tween managers and employ ees over returning to in-person work.
Employee burnout and wellbeing may be at the heart of
several of these issues. Two new studies highlight the importance of social con nection in the workplace and illustrate why working from home may not be the optimal workplace arrangement. Hy brid work-from-home sched ules may help prevent burnout and improve mental health.
So, what is burnout? The International Classifica tion of Diseases describes
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and National Nurses United (NNU) are proud to announce today that the New York nurses have overwhelmingly voted to affiliate with NNU, the largest union and professional asso ciation of registered nurses in the United States, to mutually grow and strengthen the power of nurses within the state and nationally to advocate for them selves and their patients. The vote came at NYSNA’s annual convention, where elected leaders in every NYSNA-represented facility in the state come to gether to decide the strategic direction of the union.
ashington, DC: Prominent activists and corporate leaders are joined together in a call to action for Con gress to deliver on legal status for Dreamers
Recently, I was in Al bany fighting and seeking support of A1261/S1947, legislation that will create a clear def inition of public work and level the playing field for New York’s contractors.
District Council 9 Painters and Allied Trades Union (DC9), the union for painters, prides itself on being a strong advocate for workers’ rights and safety. We are excited about this new publica tion, Workers’ World Today, which covers the issues of relevance and concern for all workers. We are encouraged that all workers: blue and white collar will have a voice and platform.
Congratulations on your inaugural issue. We wish much success to the lead ers and team of Workers’ World Today and pledge our support.p
Davon Lomax Political Director, DC9Over the summer, an ef fort to move up to a quarter-million New York City government retirees off Medicare and onto a costsaving privately managed al ternative health insurance plan seemed to have flatlined.
Now, however, a nervy scheme to resuscitate it has emerged – one that would upend a standard for retiree coverage that’s been embed ded in the City Administrative Code for decades and that could conceivably put future health benefits for active City workers on the chopping block, too.
Here's the current lay of the land.
In July, Anthem, a major provider of health insurance for City workers, pulled the plug on a plan, announced by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021, to offer City retirees cov erage in a new Medicare Ad vantage-Plus (MA+) plan. Retirees could either accept premium-free MA+ or opt out and pay $191 a month each to retain existing Medicare bene fits. Either way, the City ex pected to pocket $600 million annually. The plan had the solid backing of municipal labor leaders, who saw it as a way to bank money for City worker raises in future collec tive bargaining agreements.
Many City retirees, however, were less than enthralled. Those with substantial years of service have long enjoyed life long, premium-free health in surance. Before Medicare eligibility at age 65, their cov erage came under the same private plans as other City workers; then Medicare be
came their primary coverage, through “senior care,” a sup plemental plan similar to “Medigap” coverage other Medicare beneficiaries must buy themselves.
Efforts to persuade retirees that MA+ was an excellent substitute for Medicare met re sistance. As one retiree told the nonprofit news website The City, “The word on the street is that these Advantage plans [widely offered as alternatives to traditional Medicare] are fine as long as you don’t get sick.” By March 2022, some 65,000 retirees had elected to opt out of MA+, with many also voicing opposition in peti tions, letter-writing campaigns, and at clamorous rallies and hearings.
Meanwhile. a group led by retired and disabled EMTs, teachers, and firefighters had sued to stop the plan as a dep rivation of hard-earned, vested rights to premium-free bene fits. After court-directed nego tiations between the plaintiffs and the City flopped, the judge hearing the case earlier this year enjoined the City from im posing its proposed monthly opt-out fee. An appeal by the City is slated to be heard in Oc tober.
Before going any further it's worth asking: Why were City efforts to sell MA+ so unsuc
To the average retiree, taking MA+ would mean accepting fewer doctor and hospital choices and some hassles in getting expensive services in return for a very large reduc tion in out-of-pocket costs, and ancillary benefits for eye glasses, hearing aids, and the cost of transportation to med ical appointments. As a com mercial insurance product, MA+ would be required by the Affordable Care Act to set a yearly maximum for out-ofpocket spending; traditional Medicare has no cap.
But the City also promised that all Medicare doctors and hospitals would be in the new plan – a claim that met with widespread skepticism and a lot of anecdotal reports from retirees that their doctors didn’t intend to join MA+.
It is impossible to evaluate ei ther the City’s claims or re tirees’ fears. That almost any physician or hospital could be accepted is true – but that every doctor or hospital would participate is patently false. The City never published a di rectory of doctors participating in MA+ nor has it explained why it expected the same nearuniversal acceptance as Medicare.
Evidence about other existing Medicare Advantage plans,
TEAM
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Pearl Phillip
Contributing Writers
Linda Nwoke
Victoria Falk
Travis Morales
Mary Campbell
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Shaquille Baird Chris Tobias Erin Telesford
Legal Advisor
Brian Figeroux, Esq. Telephone 1-866-435-3286 Email info@workersworldtoday.com Visit us at www.workersworldtoday.com
however, makes the City’s con tention implausible. The most comprehensive study, pub lished five years ago, found that only 46 percent of Medicare physicians also par ticipated in MA plans. (A more recent study, however, found about 70 percent of primary care providers willing to care for MA beneficiaries.) Even the Center for Medicare and Med icaid Services, which regulates MA plans, doesn’t know which or how many physicians are in. Typically, MA plans spend 20 percent less on medical care than traditional Medicare by managing smaller, less expen sive provider networks and by rationing use of expensive care with controls like prior author ization. For example, 97 per cent of MA enrollees are in plans requiring insurance com pany approval before paying for an inpatient stay. The higher the cost of the service, the more likely it is subject to such review. The pre-autho rization process itself, requir ing justification phone calls and extensive paperwork, re duces use of high-cost service
NEW YORK: The New York City Council staff union, the Asso ciation of Legislative Employ ees (ALE), today delivered its petition to save hybrid work to the Speaker’s Office, with 212 signatures from Council em ployees. Staff from 43 of 51 member offices were repre sented alongside caucus direc tors and central staffers from the Finance, Legislative, Land Use, Community Engagement, and Personnel Services divi sions, and the total number of signers continues to grow.
The Council plans to elimi nate hybrid work for central staff on October 31, while member aides have never had a formalized hybrid policy. Currently central staff split their time between in-person and remote work. The union wants to save hybrid work and make it accessible for all. The Council’s announcement came without warning on Septem ber 22nd, giving staff with chil
dren, caregiving responsibili ties, and people with disabili ties little time to prepare.
Remote work has been com mon practice for nearly three years of the pandemic and should be bargained over in good faith between the staff union and Council managers. The Council has watched as numerous Mayoral agencies under its oversight have strug gled to perform because of staff attrition caused by the elimination of hybrid work.
For the success and proper functioning of our city, gov ernment workers like Council staff should have some hybrid flexibility. Remote work costs the city nothing but makes a huge difference to staff. The federal government and many state and local governments have “tele-worked” for years, made all the more common during the pandemic.
ALE President Daniel Kroop said, “Since management’s surprise announcement last
month, Council staff have joined together in the hun dreds to say that hybrid work works. We want the Council to negotiate with us and find a better solution than eliminat ing hybrid work on the cusp of another winter of predictable viral infections. There’s been no explanation as to why the Council should follow the same mistaken path that the Mayor has led city agencies down, which Council Mem bers have publicly acknowl edged is hurting agency retention and performance. Fi nance analysts have passed three on-time, balanced budg ets working remotely. We need to maintain flexibility, stop the turnover and brain drain, and promote equity and diversity in the workforce by saving hy brid work. We call on Council management to immediately negotiate with the union.”
ALE Vice President Vinuri Ranaweera said, “Council Member Aides and the con
stituents we serve benefit from a flexible, accessible work place. Eliminating hybrid flex ibility negatively impacts employment rates and earn ings, especially for women. Our female majority Council should lead from the front to ensure women, caregivers, and diverse candidates can readily serve the public. We call on the Council to bargain in good faith to stop the planned elimi nation of hybrid policies at the end of this month, and work with the union to make it a per manent reality for everyone.”
Jeremiah Cedeño, City Work ers for Justice said, “City Workers for Justice fully sup ports ALE's call to continue a hybrid work option. We stand with the Council Union and other representatives of hard working City staff in calling on Council members NOT to end hybrid work, in recognition of the ultimate importance of the safety and strength of our City workforce.”p
AUSTIN, TX — The Na tional Domestic Vio lence Hotline (The Hotline) recently released the results of a survey of sur vivors’ experiences with law enforcement. In 2015, The Hot line first conducted a survey on the experiences of survivors with law enforcement. The survey results were leveraged widely to highlight the experi ences of survivors and their evolving needs.
In 2021, The Hotline con ducted a follow-up survey to gain additional data and in sights. As with the 2015 sur vey, the results underscore the need to reexamine the criminal legal system’s role in intimate partner violence and reimag ine survivor-centered re sponses to domestic violence. The Hotline surveyed sur vivors who reached out to its chat line and website between March and May of 2021, with more than 1,500 survivors re sponding.
Of those 1,500, approximately 82% of survivors had contacted police about intimate partner violence or sexual assault and 12% did not. Both groups shared concerns about turning to the police for assistance and were also concerned about contacting them in the future.
“What this survey lays out with painful clarity is that the main reason domestic abuse victims reach out to law en forcement is because there is no other alternative,” said Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of The National Domestic Violence Hotline. “It is a powerful re minder that we need to look beyond the criminal legal sys tem for responses to violence that actually meet survivors’ needs for justice and safety, in cluding social services, mental health supports, community interventions, housing re sources, financial assistance and more.”
Survivors who were hesitant to call the police, frequently
cite fear of reprisal, eviction, arrest, embarrassment, immi gration status and fear of los ing custody of their children as reasons for not calling law en forcement. All these factors present huge obstacles for sur vivors trying to seek safety.
Here are the findings:
•71% feared the police would do nothing if called
•Half believed the police might arrest their partners but that their partners would not ulti mately be punished
•Almost a quarter of survivors surveyed feared that the police would arrest them, and more than half were concerned the police would not believe them and 21% believed that they would be threatened by the police or would be reported to Child Protective Services
Other findings from the sur vey include:
•Of those who reported never having called the police, 92% were very or somewhat afraid
about how the police would react
•Of those who had called the police, 55% believe they were discriminated against in some way
•Of those who had called the police, 25% were threatened with arrest
•When asked if other resources had been available, would the survivors have chosen an alter native over police, 71% an swered “yes”
Respondents overwhelm ingly expressed a desire for
different kinds of interven tions—one that did not rely on police. Respondents also ex pressed frustration at the lack of options and the information available to them. Currently, the criminal legal system is the primary intervention response to intimate partner violence and sexual assault in the United States. Research sug gests that the criminal legal system does not necessarily deter or reduce intimate part ner violence or sexual assault, continued on page 12
Get vaccinated and stay up to date with your booster shots.
COVID was tough on older New Yorkers. But you can now get back to doing the things you love by protecting yourself.
“Hugging my grandaughter is what I missed most during COVID.”
Burnout and Isolation/ continued from page 1 burnout as “a syndrome con ceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully man aged.”
As a diagnosable condition, burnout consists of three symptoms: •physical exhaustion, •disengagement with work and colleagues, and •cynicism for one’s job and career.
For many who have experi enced burnout, it can feel just like the metaphor that de scribes it: something akin to a burnt-up shriveled match stick, cold to the touch.
What causes burnout and how can it be stopped?
According to global research, approximately 50 per cent of employees and 53 per cent of managers are burnt out in the wake of the COVID-19 pan demic. Workplaces are clearly not thriving.
As a social epidemiologist studying contemporary emo tional distress within the con text of public health crises, I’ve
been keen to understand what factors contribute to burnout and how it can be successfully managed — particularly given the ongoing challenges created by COVID-19.
You might think researchers would know everything there is to know about burnout at this point. After all, burnout has been studied since at least the late 1970s. Many of the studies conducted since then have focused on workplace conditions, such as pay, hours, management styles and the nebulous “workplace culture.”
can feel just like the euphemism that describes it: something akin to a burnt-up shriveled match stick.
In any case, our emotional and psychological well-being is with us whether we’re at work or at home. As such, it makes sense that we take a ho listic view of burnout. Social connection is a key driver of burnout.
social problem driven by isola tion.
As such, management of burnout has often focused on reshaping work environments and reforming bad managers. While these are of course nec essary, it’s not immediately clear that they’re enough. With the emergence of the pandemic, many people have new levels of awareness of the impossibility of severing work from life. For some, that aware ness comes from how tired they are when they get home from a shift. For others work ing from home, it may come from the disappearing divide between home and office.
In a recent study by my lab at Simon Fraser University, we sought to identify the most im portant risk factors for burnout. We looked at a range of variables, including the clas sic factors of workload, satis faction with pay, dignity in the workplace, control over one’s work, and pay adequacy, as well as more novel variables such as home ownership, an array of demographic factors, social support and loneliness.
In conducting this study, we found that loneliness and lack of social support come out as leading contributors to burnout, perhaps just as im portant — if not moreso — than physical health and finan cial security. In summary, the study contributes to a growing understanding of burnout as a
One potential and evolving source of isolation is the emerging trend of working from home. As many people have had the privilege to learn, there are many benefits of working from home. It enables people to save time on their commutes and have more free dom to get chores done around the house or take a quick nap on their breaks. This means they have more time and energy for friends and family at the end of the day.
On the other hand, working from home means losing out on those water cooler conver sations and casual collisions with coworkers — which have a surprisingly profound im pact on well-being. Further more, considering how important workplaces and schools are for finding and building friendships, a loss of these spaces could have seri ous long-term consequences for people’s social health — es pecially if the time spent with others at work is now spent at home alone.
Monkeypox is a disease that can cause painful rashes and sores on your body. It is a virus that can easily spread through direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has monkeypox. It can also spread through shared clothing, bedding, and other items, and prolonged face-to-face contact.
Do not have sex or other intimate contact if you or your partners have a new rash or sores, feel sick, or were recently exposed to monkeypox.
Talk to a health care provider about testing, pain management or treatment if you have monkeypox symptoms.
Frequently wash your hands, bedding, towels and other shared items.
Get vaccinated if you may have been recently exposed to monkeypox.
For more information, including about vaccine eligibility, visit nyc.gov/monkeypox or scan the QR code. Text “MONKEYPOX” to 692-692 for the most up-to-date information.
Burnout and Isolation/ continued from page 6
The importance of social connection to health and happi ness
To understand the impacts of working from home on mental health, my team conducted a second study to look at differ ences in self-rated mental health across individuals who work only from home, only in person, or who worked par tially in-person and partially at home. We controlled for po tentially important factors such as income, hours of work, occupation, age, gender, and ethnicity.
Our results showed that 54 per cent of those who worked only in person and 63 per cent of those who worked only at home reported good or excel lent mental health. From these results, you might conclude that working from home is best for mental health — a finding contrary to a growing number of studies that high light the disadvantages and challenges of working from home.
However, there’s a catch: a whopping 87 per cent of those who reported a hybrid work
worked partially in-person and partially at home — had good or excellent mental health.
While the type of work done at home and in-person cer tainly shapes these trends, our findings nevertheless point to the possibility that hybrid work might give employees the best of both worlds — es pecially within the context of our first study, which high lighted the importance of so cial connection to workplace well-being. Indeed, hybrid work arrangements may allow employees to maintain those positive connections with col leagues while also providing a better balance between work
best of both worlds — at least for those who can work this way.
As employees and employ ers continue to adapt to the new normal in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our research provides a strong re minder for us to all remember the importance of social con nection. It’s all too easy to for get that strong social relationships and communi ties are the foundation of health and happiness within and outside the workplace.p
Kiffer George Card is an Assis tant Professor in Health Sci ences, Simon Fraser University
Second Chance/ continued from page 3
by causing providers to think twice about ordering them, and also discourages elderly patients from returning for a scan, lab test, or other followup they cannot receive at an initial appointment.
Once challenged, 98 percent of requests are approved. But sometimes payment is denied – and City retirees heard a lot about such incidents. A June 16, 2022 Daily News op-ed, re counting the tale of a dying woman denied coverage (until an elected official intervened) for acute in-patient hospice care, was widely circulated. The ongoing litigation and widespread rejection of MA+ caused Anthem to walk away from the deal. In the aftermath, Mayor Eric Adams and the Municipal Labor Committee, the umbrella coalition of City worker unions, have come up with a two-track Plan B.
Even as they negotiate with a new provider, Aetna, to put a new Medicare Advantage plan in place in 2023, they’re also proposing quick City Council action that would es
sentially make the basis for the injunction against the monthly opt-out fee moot. Current law sets a floor for what can be spent on retired employees. The amendment would permit the City to spend less so long as City unions go along.
The quickest mechanism to affect this change – before the Court of Appeals hearing on the City’s injunction appeal –would be for the mayor to present the measure as a “mes sage of necessity,” bypassing the normally required sevenday “aging” period between approval of a measure by a Council committee and a vote by the Council as a whole. Bills of that type must garner a dif ficult-to-achieve two-thirds majority. Whatever the route, it will elicit outrage from thou sands of well-organized and determined retired public em ployees, and likely from an even larger cohort of future re tirees. p
Barbara Caress has worked for many years in non-profit, union, and public agency health care and administration. She teaches health policy at Baruch College
Ayoung long-haul trucker driver once took an elder’s advice and invested all of his money into real estate. Even though he was seldom at home to enjoy the fruits of his labor, he hired a property management company to handle the prop erties. The advice that stuck with the driver was simple. “They’re not making any more of it, land that is.”
In terms of growing personal wealth, the real estate market may fluctuate, interest rates change, and the GDP can bounce like a ball. But, land is permanent. That may seem like a simplistic view of wealth management. Maybe it is. But that trucker retired early with multiple invest ment properties and a reason ably wealthy man.
His portrait in wealth man agement success highlights the notion that real estate re mains a strong financial driver. The next logical ques
tion is whether or not now is the time to build a powerful real estate portfolio.
Real estate investment does not necessarily follow the popular stock market thinking about buying low and selling high. In fact, investors such as the trucker had no plans to sell at all. That being said, the cur
rent real estate trends are widely considered a “seller’s market.” Are they really?
With Millennials and soon Generation Z buying up homes, inventory remains lower than demand. That nat urally has resulted in an uptick in listing prices. Couple the supply and demand issue with a Fed raising rates and one might think this is a bad
time to buy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Buying rental properties are long-term investments. Buyers would be wise to do the math on how much the monthly mortgage, insurance, taxes and overhead measure against the potential revenue. Some prop erty owners do their math based on 10 months rather than 12 to account for unex pected expenses. If the math works, it could be a valuable asset.
Return on investment in real estate has the potential to far outpace stock buys. Consider that when you purchase a stock, things outside your con trol impact value and divi dends. Think for a moment about how Elon Musk turned Tesla stocks into a roller coaster ride due to a few odd tweets and media interviews. Owning property insulates in
vestors from many external forces. Over time, rental rev enue pays down the note. This allows owners the ability to siphon off money or leverage equity for additional real es tate buys. With measured de termination, your wealth management portfolio could include multiple properties that are paid off at retirement age. It worked for a truck driver who took some simple advice from an elder.
There’s little doubt that real es tate remains a strong asset for increasing personal wealth. If you are considering a pur chase, speak with a real estate professional.
If you have more in-depth questions, or want advice on in real estate investment or de velopment, talk to your trusted real estate agent at Eq uity Smart Realty Inc. We would be happy to offer guid ance. Call 888-670-6791.p
Minorities continue to be the target of the predatory practices by real estate and mortgage brokers and the man who comes knocking on your door with a bag of cash. To save your home, call us now for a consultation at 855-768-8845.
On Tuesday, October 18, members of 32BJ SEIU went on strike at the super luxury residential build ing 108 Leonard Street, a 166unit condo in the Tribeca section of Manhattan also known as the Clock Tower building. The strike was called by fifteen building workers who act as porters, concierges and maintenance workers to protest a number of unfair labor practices alleged against the condominium developed by Elad Group.
The building owners volun tarily recognized the workers’ union in the spring of 2021, when they sought representa
tion from 32BJ, but negotiations have since come to a grinding halt. Workers at the building earn $21.50 an hour, and are pushing to be brought in line with roughly 30,000 workers across New York City represented by 32BJ, where the salary minimum is $28 an hour. Workers are also seeking better health care coverage among other benefits. p
The Astoria Worker Project is a new initia tive from CWE to create a worker center to offer a range of social services to the resi dents of Astoria and Western Queens. AWP is partnering with Free Astoria and Astoria Food Pantry to run a winter clothing drive for immi grant families that recently arrived in NYC. The need is urgent, help us keep our new neighbors warm! p
At our October 2022 Ex ecutive Board Meet ing, the NYC CLC passed four resolutions ad dressing upcoming ballot pro posals, immigration policy, and FIFA/2026 World Cup human rights and labor stan dards.
•Resolution in support of the Racial Justice Commission as well as proposed amendments to the New York City Charter through 3 ballot proposals. The NYC CLC stands in sup port of the Racial Justice Com mission, formed to focus on racial justice and reconcilia tion with a mandate to iden tify and root out structural racism. The three proposed amendments promise to bring power, access, and opportuni ties to BIPOC New Yorkers and to create lasting capacity and accountability.
•Resolution to support the pas sage of The Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmen tal Bond Act of 2022 as well as to take steps to ensure our af
filiates have the information and access to shared re sources to vote yes on the proposed Act. The Environ mental Bond Act will provide funding for local infrastructure and environmental restoration while es tablishing strong standards for prevailing wage rates on construction projects and allowing municipalities to re quire contractors to adopt labor peace agreements and buy American structural iron and steel.
•Resolution in Support of Coalition Building towards ProWorker Immigration Policies. The NYC CLC believes the pathway to fixing an unjust, exploitative system will re quire continued partnership from organized and unor ganized labor and will take steps to ensure that affiliates and allies have tools and information to access new pro tections for immigrant workers, including materials, training, and case support.
•Resolution to demand that FIFA and United 2026 uphold their statutory human rights commitment, which includes a commitment to labor rights. The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico is the first opportunity to see FIFA’s new human right stan dards fulfilled. While past World Cups have been asso ciated with low wages, dangerous jobs, preventable worker deaths, community displacement, and corrup tion; the NYC CLC will work with affiliate and commu nity allies to ensure that FIFA and the NY/NJ Host Committee agree to specific requirements to ensure that our communities benefit from hosting the games and to establish a legacy of strong labor standards for future mega-sporting events.p
If you want to make a million more dollars over your lifetime, there's one solution: Join a union. That's according to a new paper in Cornell University's ILR Review. Researchers Zachary Parolin of Bocconi University and Tom VanHeuvelen of University of Minnesota Twin Cities examined the advantages of being part of a union throughout your entire career.
“We find that a person who spent the entirety of their career in a labor union were predicted to earn about a million dollars more over the course of their career compared to somebody who was never in a labor union," Van Heuvelen told Business Insider.
To quantify the impact of unioniza tion on lifetime earnings, they used the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which tracks some Americans every several years. The researchers zoomed in on men who would've been in their late 20s in the 1960s and 1970s, and tracked their earnings through retire ment as well as whether or not they were union members. The result was the $1.3 million premium for workers who spent their whole careers in
unions, even though those workers were more likely to retire earlier. Workers who are never in a union were pro jected to earn around $2.1 mil lion their whole careers, while those who were in unions for their whole careers were esti mated to make $3.4 million.
Workers without college de grees particularly benefit from career-long union member ship. In fact, a worker without a college degree who has been in a union for 100% of his ca reer is actually expected to make more than a non-union worker with a college degree.p
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Committee
part in
Breast Cancer (MABC)
breast cancer walk on the morning of Sunday, October 16, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. Local 3 apprentices Anthony Murillo and Scott Avnyin co-chaired the Local 3 Apprentice Committee team. Local 3 members and families proudly walked side by side with com munity members and raised over $4,000! Funds go toward critical re search and services for people trying to cope with their breast cancer experience.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer takes place throughout the month of October in more than 150 communities nationwide this year.p
NYSNA’s nearly 42,000 mem bers will increase NNU’s membership close to 225,000 nurses, and will also bring NYSNA into the AFL-CIO, of which NNU is already a mem ber union. NYSNA, the oldest nurses association in the coun try and one of the most influ ential nurses unions, will gain greater resources and capacity, particularly in the federal arena, by joining NNU.
The two organizations are well aligned in their ap proaches to powerful repre sentation on behalf of nurses and the profession, supporting efforts such as creating strong workplace standards to protect nurses from infectious diseases like Covid-19, establishing fed eral safe staffing laws, holding employers responsible for pre venting workplace violence, and fighting for health care justice in our wider society.
NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, CCRN, BSN, said, “Covid-19 has shown that nurses nationwide face the same issues and challenges at work. There is strength in
numbers and a NYSNA affilia tion with NNU will strengthen our fight to protect nurses, our patients, and our communities. We are thrilled that this affilia tion connects us more closely to the national and interna tional labor movement, which is essential to improving the lives of working people.”
“This is a great day for nurses in New York and across the country,” said Jean Ross, RN, and a president of National Nurses United. “NYSNA is al ready a powerhouse in its own right and has done such an amazing job representing nurses in New York state. We are honored they have voted to join forces with us in building our national movement of nurses to fight for our profes sion, our patients, and the health of our communities.”
NYSNA First Vice President Dr. Judith Cutchin, RN, DNP, of NYC Health+Hospitals/ Woodhull said, “Nurses throughout the country are ris ing up and demanding change. NNU is a trailblazing union that has a track record of win ning respect for nurses and winning safe staffing ratios in California. Together, we will
work to change policies and address important issues that affect nurses and our patients at the city, state, and national levels."
“Nurses are stronger when we work collectively,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN and execu tive director of National Nurses United. “Our solidarity is what makes it possible to challenge injustice and in equity in our workplaces and in the health of our society. We could not be more proud to now be fighting this fight
alongside New York nurses.”
Second Vice President Mar ion Enright, RN, Nathan Lit tauer Hospital, said, “Working in a hospital in a rural area of New York State that once had low union density, I know first hand how building union power helps nurses win better conditions and advocate more effectively for their patients. Together, NYSNA and NNU have the power to fix our bro ken health care system, protect our patients, and put an end to the staffing crisis.”
NYSNA Secre tary Nella Pineda-Marcon, BSN, RN-BC, of Mount Sinai Morningside said, “NYSNA and NNU share the goal of transforming our health care system so that it puts patients over profits and delivers quality care to all. We are also commit ted to address and heal the broader social, economic, racial, and climate injustices that fuel illness in our patients and society.”
NNU’s other affiliate nursing organizations include Califor nia Nurses Association/Na tional Nurses Organizing Committee, District of Colum bia Nurses Association, Michi gan Nurses Association, and Minnesota Nurses Association, which recently engaged in the largest nurses strike in U.S. his tory.p
Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the recent announce ment by the Department of Homeland Security that it plans to increase the number of available H-2B visas: Seasonal workers are on the front lines, and these jobs should be good, union jobs with fair wages and safe working conditions. However, the current structure of the H2B program has enabled ram pant and often egregious abuse. Continued increases in the number of visas without improved safeguards put mi grant and U.S. workers alike at unacceptable risk. Rather than expanding an exploitative model, we renew our call for the administration and Con gress to prioritize humanitar ian pathways and implement extensive H-2B reforms that
lift labor standards, hold em ployers accountable, and en sure full rights and fair treatment of all workers in seasonal industries.
We hear a lot about labor shortages these days, but the shortage of good jobs is a crisis that gets far too little attention. Workers are no longer willing to risk their lives to work for meager wages without child care support, paid leave or
basic safety protections, and they are taking collective ac tion in record numbers to de mand dignified treatment and a fair share of the wealth they help create. This is a critical time to make real gains in pay and standards for work that has been chronically under valued, and unions expect a coherent policy agenda to help achieve that goal.p
Card? Call 855-768-8845
Feeling Less Safe/ continued from page 5 contributes to the conditions that are associated with vio lence, and has serious unin tended consequences for many it was meant to protect.
This survey makes clear that there is much more work to do to fundamentally transform the response to violence into one that materially improves the lives of those who are harmed.
“Police have never helped— not when I was being stalked, harassed, or abused,” said an other survivor who responded to the survey. “That kind of vi olence—police and incarcera tion—only escalates a situation
and makes it less safe for me and my family.”
“This report contains power ful information from survivors who voluntarily gave insight into their experiences through answers to our questions and in their own words,” said RayJones. “They did so with the hope that the criminal justice system would hear them, be lieve them and effect change.”p
The National Domestic Violence Hotline envisions a world where all relationships are positive, healthy, and free from violence. If you or someone you know needs help, call The Hotline at 1-800799-7233 or go to thehotline.org
Thursday, Sept 29-Oct 27 from 6pm via Zoom
Legislation for Dreamers/ continued from page 1 in the aftermath of the Fifth Circuit’s ruling against DACA and the reality that the decadeold program is likely to disap pear in the near future.
Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Google, Starbucks and Target are among the cor porate brands pushing a new advertising campaign in sup port of a solution for Dreamers this year and no one can argue that their voices are not influ ential. Similarly, two of the leading voices from the gener ation that helped win DACA protections in the first place, Astrid Silva and Erika Andi ola, write an impassioned joint op-ed in Univision calling on Congress to deliver on a bipar tisan solution for Dreamers.
Silva can rightly be credited with lighting the fire under former Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada in support of Dreamers. She later went on to speak in primetime to the Democratic National Conven tion after Reid won a tough re election campaign against an outspoken anti-immigrant candidate partly on the strength of his leadership for
joint op-ed, “Only a bipartisan deal this year can save the Dreamers,” calls on elected officials to pri oritize the urgency of deliver ing a legislative solution before the end of 2022:
“The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has put President Biden and Congressional De mocrats on notice, as their rul ing on Texas v. United States has set off a chain of events that will certainly turn into a catastrophe should Congress fail to take action by the end of 2022.
Right now, nearly 700,000 Dreamers currently have the ability to work legally and are protected from deportation under President Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often re ferred to as DACA.
However, this group of young immigrants who came here as children are in immi nent danger of being stripped of their immigration protec tions, including the ability to work and drive legally, now that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that DACA is unlawful and sent it back to anti-immigrant Judge Andrew Hanen. One thing is clear, Judge Hanen is no friend of the immigrant community and is likely to act harshly against the
DACA program as he has done in the past.
…Right now, Congress needs to cut a bi-partisan deal and pass immigration legislation in 2022, that means averting the weekly loss of 5,000 work au thorizations from DACA re cipients over the next two years should the program be terminated.
Congressional staffers should [use] the Fifth Circuit ruling as a wake up call and ensure their bosses (whether they’re seeking re-election or not) do not waste any (and perhaps the only) opportunity to pass immigration legislation — including the upcoming lame duck session of Con gress.”
According to Vanessa Cárde nas, Executive Director of America’s Voice: “Congress has the obligation to deliver for Dreamers who are an essential part of our communities, our economy and our nation. The urgency for action couldn’t be greater. With the upcoming midterms determining control of Con gress, the window to protect DACA recipients and other Dreamers through a long over
due bipartisan legislative fix is getting smaller and smaller –especially since Kevin Mc Carthy has reiterated his oppo sition to such a bill under a GOP-controlled House, if they take over.
Inflation and the economy are the top issues for voters across party lines and these corporations are underscoring the avoidable economic catas trophe we face if Congress fails to act before DACA recipients are kicked from their jobs or kicked out of the country they call home. These key voices from the left, right and center are sending a wake up call to Congress that the clock is tick ing on a DACA rescue and that staving off further eco nomic disruption and human tragedy is in their hands.
Now is the time to settle Dreamers’ unresolved futures once and for all and help American families and com munities move forward. As the business leaders remind us, the failure to do so would not just cruelly endanger Dreamers’ futures and fami lies, but harm the U.S. econ omy and all of us in the process.”p
Approximately 70 mil lion Americans will see a 8.7% increase in their Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security In come (SSI) payments in 2023. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January.
Federal benefit rates increase when the cost-of-living rises, as measured by the Depart ment of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The CPIW rises when inflation in creases, leading to a higher cost-of-living. This change means prices for goods and services, on average, are higher. The cost-of-living ad justment (COLA) helps to off set these costs.
We will mail COLA notices throughout the month of De cember to retirement, sur vivors, and disability
beneficiaries, SSI recipients, and representative payees. But if you want to know your new benefit amount sooner, you can securely obtain your Social Security COLA notice online using the Message Cen ter in your personal my Social Security account. You can ac cess this information in early December, prior to receiving the mailed notice. Benefit amounts will not be available before December. Since you will receive the COLA notice online or in the mail, you don’t need to contact us to get your new benefit amount.
If you prefer to access your COLA notice online and not receive the mailed notice, you can log in to your personal my Social Security account to opt out by changing your Prefer ences in the Message Center. You can update your prefer ences to opt out of the mailed COLA notice, and any other notices that are available on
line. Did you know you can receive a text or email alert when there is a new message waiting for you? That way, you always know when we have something important for you – like your COLA notice. If you don’t have an account yet, you must create one by November 15, 2022 to receive the 2023 COLA notice online.
“Medicare premiums are going down and Social Secu rity benefits are going up in 2023, which will give seniors more peace of mind and breathing room. This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are
not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned,” Acting Commis sioner Kilolo Kijakazi said.
January 2023 marks when other changes will happen based on the increase in the national average wage index. For example, the maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll tax in 2023 will be higher. The retire ment earnings test exempt amount will also change in 2023.p
Across the United States, vehicle accidents are the leading cause of personal injury claims. In a year, an average of 4.5 million people seek med ical treatment for car accidents. These in juries range from minor bruises and scrapes to permanent disability and death. If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in a car accident in New York City, you should consult with the Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates. We are a law firm well-known for our track record of litigation success in car accident cases. Our experienced personal injury at torneys have won large settlements for vic tims of car injuries.
Numerous examples of settlements on personal injury cases from vehicle acci dent lawsuits exist. For instance, there is a case against the City of New York for fail ing to repair a flooded roadway, which caused the motorist's accident and resulted in brain injuries.
A 35-year-old driver struck by another car that needed surgery filed a case for com pensation for the treatment of injuries to her lumbar spine. Similarly, a 45-year-old passenger in her lane who stopped at a traffic light was hit from the rear. She re quired surgery on her neck and back.
Car accidents are commonplace in New York City, sometimes leading to traffic jams. They are more frequent during the weekday, especially around rush hours— lunchtime and evening commute leading to several crashes. Overall, thousands of vehicle crashes in New York State, with an average of 30 hits per hour around the Em pire state.
The statistics of vehicle-rated accidents across the five boroughs in New York City show that Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens have the highest traffic-related
deaths. Bronx county records slightly higher deaths than New York County. At the same time, Staten Island has the least number and is considered the least danger ous place. Interestingly most hospitaliza tions and death occur among pedestrians, while the vehicle occupants often end up seeking emergency treatment.
Types of Accidents in New York City
The frequently seen type of accident in New City is collisions between passenger vehicles. The most occurring factors are violating traffic laws and distracted driv ing. Another common accident in the city is pedestrian accidents, which have been traced to speeding, distracted driving, fail ing to see pedestrians, or yielding to some one in a crosswalk. Car-bicycle collisions are also a significant cause of death in the city. An average of 3,800 bicycle-vehicle crashes in 2019 resulted in injuries or death to bicyclists.
Most vehicle collisions are unexpected and brutal, with most victims feeling con fused in the event's aftermath. Hence, the actions taken afterward can have both fi nancial and health-related repercussions.
Most personal injury cases from car ac cidents in New York are settled out of
court. In contrast, some cases go to trial and are heard by a jury or judge. In cases where the driver was negligent, the victim may receive compensation for their expe rience of pain and suffering. However, many factors considered in passing judg ment include providing irrefutable evi dence that the injury was caused by accident and that the victim suffered a sig nificant loss due to the accident.
In general, life for many car accident vic tims is never the same. While the impact can range from mild to severe, victims sometimes must endure long-term medical treatments, including physical and psycho logical therapy. Some of the injuries caused by car accidents include soft tissue and bone injuries and traumatic brain in juries.
Some of these injuries are life-changing because they can take a long time before healing and is beside the unimaginable ef fect these accidents have on the victim's family members. However, the state of New York has laws that address some of the victims of personal injury from car ac cidents.
No-fault' Insurance In New York
The No-fault insurance, also referred to as "Personal Injury Protection" (PIP) insur ance, was approved by the state's lawmak ers in the 70s. Car insurance lowers the cost of auto insurance by settling small claims outside the courts. The insurance companies handle paying the cost of up to $50,000 on behalf of their policyholders to victims. This will cover simple items like minor injuries, lost earnings, and medical bills, irrespective of who caused the accident. However, some conditions can make a person ineligible for a no-fault benefit. They include driving under the in fluence, intentional accidents, committing a felony, getting injured while riding in a stolen vehicle, and having an uninsured vehicle. However, under New York State laws, a legal settlement can still be pur sued over the victim's pain and suffering, injuries, and loss of personal property.
It is worth noting that when an individual sustains a personal injury from an acci dent, there is a three-year gap to file a case before the state of New York. Therefore, when an individual is seriously injured in a vehicle accident, the amount of time they must file a claim after a car accident is up to three years from the date of the ac cident. It is expedient for the injured per son to seek medical treatment soon after the accident and legal advice from a car accident lawyer to review their case.
There is no uniform agreement or guide line on settling car accident settlements cases. Sometimes out-of-court settlements from accidents can be reached with the at torney. In the case that goes to trial, the jury considers all aspects of damages — economic, non-economic, and punitive,
Various reports from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) shows that car acci dents cause the second-most common in jury among New York residents. Traffic accidents cause more injuries and deaths, leading to a high number of hospitaliza tions and a high number of visits to the emergency department visits. More than 1,900 New York residents die each year from fatal injuries caused by traffic acci dents. Among them are many pedestrians (over 300), drivers and passengers (over 290), motorcyclists (over 100), bicyclists (over 30), and many unspecified persons.
Concerning hospitalizations from traf fic-related injuries, more than 12,000 New Yorkers become patients each year, with the most significant number of driv ers and passengers (6000+) as victims. Many pedestrians (3000+) and motorcy clists (1500+) make up most of the vic tims. More than 136,000 New York State Residents are reportedly treated and re leased from an emergency department each year due to traffic-related injuries, with the occupants making up the highest number of patients.
in New York
Accidents have various types and levels of impact on drivers, passengers, and be yond. For vehicle occupants, some of the most common injuries among victims of a car crash in New York are bone-related, internal, and psychological injuries. Ref erencing the data by the National High way Safety Administration (NHSA), some of the frequently occurring injuries are:
Bone Injuries: Neck, Knee, Back, Hip, Wrist, and other forms of broken bones in the body.
Broken Bones: A common, severe, and long-term type of injury sustained from car accidents in New York. It results from the strain against the seatbelt, blunt force trauma, and the crush between the car components and the surrounding environ ment. The arms and legs are often broken as they are least protected during a crash.
Whiplash/ Neck injuries: This is another common injury from accidents in New York. Upon impact, the head is forced to bend and thrash around differently, caus ing muscles and ligaments to tear along the neck.
Back or Spine Injuries: The back mus cles are often torn, and victims experience dislocated discs due to the jolt to the body during the crash. This is because the spine experiences severe strain and stress.
Knee Injuries: This is a common injury found among drivers and front-side pas sengers who are slammed into the dash board, glove box, or steering wheel, causing severe injuries to the surrounding bones, ligaments, and the knee's patella.
Hip Injuries: The hip bone gets injured when the victims are hit from the side of the car during a crash, especially in a Tbone or side-swiping accident. Often, the
upper body is thrashed and bends to one side, causing dislocation or ruptured areas of the hip.
Accidents from Head-on Collisions: These accidents also result in hip injuries. In this case, the victim's weight suddenly shifts forward, putting a strain on the lower part of the seat belt across the lap, causing severe hip injuries.
Soft Tissue Injuries: Although not typi cally life-threatening, soft tissue injuries which affect the eyes, mouth, skin, and other soft tissue are among the most painful and long-term injuries obtained from traffic accidents in New York.
Stomach Injuries: The injuries to the stomach are caused by the seatbelt. They are mostly experienced as internal bleed ing in the gut. They are not easily detected because the pain from these can be de layed for an extended period.
Nerve Damage: When the deep tissues are affected by blunt force trauma during an accident, the nerves can be damaged by debris, or exposed components, lead ing to partial or total loss of function in affected areas, either temporarily or per manently.
Chest Pain: Chest pains indicate many injuries following the car crash. The in juries are in the form of panic or heart at tacks, rib cage or abdominal bruises, or more. These pains can also be delayed and arise afterward, depending on the type of injury causing the pain.
Emotional Suffering: Some emotional pain caused by traffic accidents result in anger, depression, and fear. Mood changes indicate traumatic brain trauma injuries from a car accident.
Psychological Trauma: Psychological trauma often occurs among the survivors of car accidents, and it is not related to the accident's severity. Victims often develop post-traumatic stress and other forms of association between driving and pain, fear, and sadness.
What Causes Car Accidents in New York?
Several factors lead to a car accident. However, in New York, car crashes are linked to two significant factors, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and Drowsy Driving.
Driving While Intoxicated Drunk driving is a significant offense among New York drivers, and many acci dents have been attributed to drunk driv ing. In 2018, official data from New York State government reported that over 8,900 casualties were linked to alcohol intake. The amount of alcoholic content in a dri ver's blood impairs the ability to stay alert, focused, and attentive while driving. In New York State, the blood alcohol per centage (BAC) allowed is up to 0.18% while going, which is the equivalent of one drink. Anything above that number attracts a fine of over $1000, a one-year jail sentence, or license revocation in some instances. This is ultimately one of the leading causes of pedestrian injuries in New York.
In 2018, New York State Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR) reported that over 4,000 drivers fell asleep behind the wheel, especially in late-night crashes. It is considered even more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. Some of the ef fects of drowsy driving are impaired de cision-making, slow reactionary time, and lowered attention to other road users. Hence driving becomes a danger to both self and other road users.
It is common practice for cases relating to a car accident to be settled in New York without trial. Many insurance companies will offer to resolve accident cases quickly. These settlements are much smaller than the amount a victim can re ceive post legal representation and com pensation in court. Some typical settlements determined by courts include car repair costs, medical bills (past and fu ture), lost wages, and time away from work.
However, suppose there is no injury from the collision. In that case, New York Law will not allow the victim to file a lawsuit against another person, even if the victim's car was damaged.
In delayed injuries, the victim can file a lawsuit for delayed damages even if they have passed the standard limit established by the statute of limitations but with a solid legal representation. Different car accidents create higher risks of sustaining specific injuries and can be used to deter mine the person at fault during a collision.
Suppose you're being sued after a car ac cident. In that case, you need the services of an effective defense attorney who will help you build a solid chance to prove that you were at minimal fault for the acci dent. In such cases, the experienced Per sonal Injury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates can also help you prevent the issue from reaching the payout stage. Call us at 855-768-8845 l
ments from accidents can be reached with the attorney. In the case that goes to trial, the jury considers all aspects of damages — economic, non-economic, and puni tive, especially in accidents caused by dis tracted driving and recklessness.
The amount of settlement awarded in New York State is determined by percent age. For instance, it can be agreed that the driver is 80% at fault. At the same time, the other such as occupants, etc., is 20% at fault, otherwise known as pure compar ative negligence. They are determining the cost of medical treatment. All the doc umentation associated with the medical expenses during or after the accident must be considered for claims.
In determining the severity of personal injuries, settlements are largely deter mined by the level of the injury and seri ousness of the damage. A minor damage will receive less money than a permanent, chronic, or severe injury. Furthermore, the jury also reviews other factors during a trial, such as the worth of the other party's insurance, i.e., how much the other party's insurance policy carries. To determine if the person who caused the presenting sit uation that led to the car accident doesn't take high-value insurance coverage. All these require an expert view to help deter mine alternatives to obtaining an insur ance claim or other revenue sources that will enable the defendant to provide a payout.
Therefore, some factors that influence compensation after a car accident are the law of shared fault and negligence, the number of economic damages, the sever ity of injuries, and the auto insurance pol icy limits. Most cases need legal support and expert advice, especially from per sonal injury attorneys.
A personal injury attorney specializes in helping victims obtain settlements by pro viding legal assistance and advice after a car crash. The attorneys at the Personal In jury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates possess a wide range of experience and the expertise needed to advocate for vic tims who have been placed in vulnerable positions from a car accident. Call us at 855-768-8845 or schedule an appointment at www.askthelawyer.us l
In a recent incident, an older adult traveling in a black Honda CRV around 10:45 a.m. reportedly lost con trol and slammed into another car waiting for the traffic light to turn green, accord ing to witnesses and cops.
The crash caused the driver of the car in front to jolt his knees, and the occupantskids, were quite shaken and traumatized from the crash. Such accidents occur daily around New York City. An average of 620 car accidents occur daily, and over 290 deaths are reported yearly from motor ve hicle traffic-related injuries among vehi cle occupants.
Furthermore, New York records cases of over 6,200 vehicle occupants hospital ized due to motor vehicle traffic-related injuries and over 106,000 vehicle occu pants visiting the emergency department annually due to car traffic-related injuries.
Yet, the frequency of car accidents re mains ignored among New Yorkers, per haps due to the hustling nature of the city. Arguably, the population size of the city, and the amount of congestion, make minor car accidents such as fender ben ders a regular and expected occurrence in daily living. However, the number of crip
pling accidents in the city is quite substan tial and surprising.
Based on the number of car accidents in the city, it is essential to clarify the most prevalent types of car accidents found on the city streets to the highways and other New York City roads as follows:
By description, any accident that causes damage to only one vehicle, even if an other driver causes it. If the crash involves one automobile and no one else's, it is
considered a single-vehicle accident. Common incidents reveal that the driver, with or without passengers, can veer off the road because of one form of impair ment, like being distracted or falling asleep. Sometimes, a single car accident can be because by falling into a pothole, dodging animals on the road, bad weather, or sliding off the road. Besides other cars and objects, the vehicle can also hit bicy clists or pedestrians.
One of the most prevalent car accidents in NYC is rear-ended collisions which ac
count for over 28 percent of all car acci dents in the United States. It describes car incidents where the front bumper of the car behind collides with the rear end of an other vehicle in its front. The loss of con trol, bad weather conditions, and road defects can result in a crash.
Rear-end collisions have adjudged the fault of the rear vehicle driver, even though the driver in front of the vehicle is at fault for stopping suddenly. The reason is based on the premise that the rear driver is responsible for creating adequate room for safe stopping between them and the car in front in case of an unexpected stop. The good news is that most rear-end col lisions are not fatal because most drivers are not at maximum speed; only a tiny percent is disastrous.
Side swiping happens when a driver is tired, inattentive, or falls asleep on the steering and hits another vehicle, causing an accident. Sometimes, a driver's blind spot during a lane change can cause them to crash into another car traveling in the same direction. This causes a sideswiping
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accident from changing lanes, especially when one driver tries to make a lane change from a blind spot; thus, it is also re ferred to as 'blind spot accidents. In other instances, one of the drivers can join a line without looking carefully. Most sideswip ing accidents are not fatal unless the driv ers are slow to respond or traveling at high speed, which results in damaged vehicles.
Available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that over 15 percent of car fatalities are from rollovers. The majority (80+ per cent) of rollover-related casualties occur in single-vehicle crashes.
Some factors contributing to rollover ac cidents include the location of the car's center of gravity, which depends on design or model. At the same time, others, like the amount of load on the vehicle, height, and environmental factors, can contribute to causing a rollover. Consistent with other car accidents, the chances of a car rolling over increases with speed, driver's impair ment from alcohol, drugs, and distraction.
Accidents at intersections, parking lots (sometimes), and on a multi-lane roadway are typical, including when a car passes another vehicle on the road. Such acci dents are popularly called T-bone colli sions or broadside collisions. Upon
occurrence, they are fatal and deadly from the severity of injuries — from the location of the impact on the vehicle and the passen gers' seating position. A side impact colli sion occurs when a vehicle crashes at the side of one or more vehicles, where the front of one car strikes the side of another.
In 2016, such accidents caused over 5,500 deaths from single and multi-passenger ve hicle T-bone crashes. Notably, these colli sions are not well managed with child restraints. Several factors, including reck less or careless behavior by any or many motorists, significantly distracted driving, intoxication, speeding, breaking traffic rules, and aggressive driving can lead to such collisions.
They can result in severe injuries, espe cially if the passenger or driver sits on the side of the vehicle where the impact occurs. Secondly, the lack of standardized safety in stallations in different care designs and models also increases the severity. Some ex amples of the injuries are severe concus sion, whiplash — neck injury from the rapid movement of the head, broken bones — hands, fingers, ribs, legs, spinal cord injury, and lacerations.
People riding on the struck side of the car experience severe injuries on their neck, head, chest, legs, and abdomen/pelvis. Car occupants on the car's non-struck side often suffer head and chest injuries. Whiplash and concussions are the most pre vailing injuries caused by side-impact car crashes. Injuries to the limbs and chest re main as common as those sustained in rearend or head-on collisions.
Occupants on the unstruck side of the car often suffer limb and chest injuries from another occupant's collision or the pillar anchoring the seatbelt.
Head-on collisions often occur when two cars driving in opposite directions crash into each other. The NHTSA reports that it accounts for only 2 percent of car crashes. However, despite its rarity, it is hazardous and results in more than 11 percent of driv ing fatalities. They are often devastating for both parties and can result in wrongful deaths or permanent damages. Most in juries that are from head-on collisions are very severe and traumatic. These include spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries
(TBIs). Sometimes victims become per manently impaired or paralyzed, with some sustaining a loss of motor, cognitive ability, or senses.
Some of the causes of head-on collisions have been linked to lack of attention to road signs, flaunting traffic signals, drug impairment, sleepiness, and unintentional lane switching. They can happen because of a mistake, such as driving on the wrong side of the road, drunk driving, distracted driving, or brake failure.
Incidentally, identifying who caused the crash is challenging since the impact may put them in altered positions. Irrespective of the type of car accident, the incident often leaves an indelible effect in the
According to statistics, car acci dents are among the leading cause of deaths among children in the USA. About 45% of deaths among children are because of car accidents. What can you do if there is a car accident involving your child? During this difficult time, you need a strong advocate on your side like the attorneys at the Personal In jury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates. How can we deal with the greater risks that children face when it comes to car ac cidents? Child victims in car accidents can be placed in two categories. There are those who are passengers and there are those who are pedestrians. It is important to realize that a lack of precautionary measures has been the main reason for child victims of car accidents in both sce narios. Children need keen supervision whenever they are walking along the road, crossing a road or in any other situ ation where they are interacting with traf fic. Further, they need to be looked after when in transit aboard a vehicle and the necessary precautions taken so as to en sure they remain safe under any circum
stances.
For child pedestrians the following meas ures can help reduce the risk of accidents among children.
1.Close supervision of children at all times when near a road.
2.Training of children in road safety and teaching them safe road use.
3.Educating drivers and other road users on “Child safe road use.”
Reducing the risk to child passengers can be done by taking the following steps:
1.Always ensure that the child is safely secured in the vehicle.
2.Discourage risky activities and play while on board a car.
3.Avoid any showmanship and road rage as you drive because this will set a poor example for the children in your vehicle.
4.Train the children on safety while on board a vehicle.
While these measures will not eliminate child victims of car accidents, they will greatly reduce the risk children face while traveling along the roads or when in a car.
A personal injury attorney specializes in helping victims obtain settlements by pro viding legal assistance and advice after a car crash. The attorneys at the Personal Injury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associ ates possess a wide range of experience and the expertise needed to advocate for children who have been in car accidents. Call us at 855-768-8845 or schedule an appointment at www.askthelawyer.usl
minds of those involved. Sometimes, the result has a far-reaching impact far beyond the immediate participants. In some cases, the incident can affect close family mem bers and other dependents.
In such cases, the experienced Personal Injury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates can interpret the laws and make a strong case that will provide some compensation for the victims, or the issue needs to be in volved.
Call us at 855-768-8845 or schedule an appointment at www.askthelawyer.usl
BY MARLISE HOFE & FRANCES CHEN THE CONVERSATION
Having trouble sleep ing? Nervous about an important inter view? Smelling your partner’s worn clothing may help im prove your sleep and calm your nerves.
While it may sound strange to smell your partner’s cloth ing, these behaviours are sur prisingly common. In one study, researchers asked par ticipants if they had ever slept with or smelled their partners’ worn clothing during periods of separation. Over 80 per cent of women and 50 per cent of men reported they had inten tionally smelled an absent partner’s clothing. Most of them said they did so because it made them feel relaxed or se cure.
Along with our colleagues at
the University of British Co lumbia, we decided to take a closer look at whether expo sure to the scent of our roman tic partner might have benefits for our psychological and physical health.
Specifically, we conducted two experiments. The first tested whether a partner’s scent improved sleep. The re sults of that research have been accepted for publication in the journal Psychological Science. The second study, which tested whether these scents re duced stress, was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In both studies, we wanted to capture natural body scent. So we asked participants to wear a plain white T-shirt as an un dershirt for 24 hours and to avoid activities known to affect natural body odour, like smok ing, eating spicy food or wear ing scented body products. We also provided them with un
scented shampoo and soap to use before wearing the shirt. When participants returned their shirts to us, we immedi ately stored them in a freezer to preserve the scent.
In one study, we tested whether sleep quality would be improved by a partner’s scent. We gave each of our 155 participants two identical-
looking shirts: one control shirt and one that had been worn by their partner.
Each participant was asked to sleep with his or her partner’s shirt as a pillow cover for two nights, and with the other shirt as a pillow cover for another two nights — without know ing which was which. Each morning, participants reported the quality of their sleep the previous night.
We also asked participants to wear a sleep watch that moni tored their movement through the night. After the study was over, we asked participants to guess whether each of the shirts had been worn by their partner.
People reported that their sleep was better on nights when they thought they were smelling their partner’s scent. However, data from the sleep watches revealed that people’s sleep efficiency was higher — in other words, they experi enced less tossing and turning — on nights they were actually sleeping with their partner’s shirt. This increase in sleep ef ficiency occurred regardless of whether participants guessed that the shirt was their part ner’s. This suggests that the ef fects of exposure to a partner’s scent can occur outside of our conscious awareness.
Participants in our study ex
perienced an average of more than nine additional minutes of sleep per night when ex posed to the scent of their part ner, equating to more than one hour of additional sleep per week. This increase was achieved without participants spending any more time in bed. The average improve ment in sleep efficiency from sleeping with a partner’s scent was similar in magnitude to improvements documented for melatonin supplements, which are often used as a sleep aid.
In another study, we examined whether stress would be re duced by a partner’s scent. We asked 96 women to come into our lab and smell a shirt, either a control shirt or one worn by their romantic partner. They smelled this shirt before, dur
ing and after a stressful mock job interview. Women smelling their partner’s shirt re ported lower stress both when thinking about the upcoming interview and when re covering from the interview. Those who correctly reported that they were smelling their partner’s scent had lower cortisol reac tivity to the stressor. Cortisol is a natural hormone released by the body during stress. These findings suggest that the protective benefits of a partner’s scent may be strongest when people are aware they are smelling their partner.
In our upcoming research, we plan to investigate other ques tions about social scents, such as whether people who are happier in their relationships derive greater health benefits from the scent of their partner, and whether the health bene fits might extend to other types of close relationships, like par ent-child relationships. By understanding how social scents affect health, future studies can examine the effi cacy of simple methods to bol ster well-being, such as taking a partner’s scarf or shirt along when travelling. The current studies reveal that, often out side of our awareness, another world of communication is happening right under our noses.p
Marlise Hofer is a PhD Student, De partment of Psychology, University of British Columbia. Frances Chen is an Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of British Co lumbia
Last year we talked about ways to live well beyond your diagnosis. This year’s pro gram, “A Roadmap to Living your Life while Navigating Breast Cancer,” will discuss un derstanding your treatment path, the cost of can cer, and navigating relationships.
Our experts will share strategies and tactics you can use if, and when, faced with roadblocks to getting the care you deserve. You’ll also hear from Black women diagnosed with breast cancer on their experiences with navigating their diag nosis and how they overcame challenges to find their way forward.
This program is for those diagnosed with earlystage or metastatic breast cancer and the people in their lives that care about them. There is no fee to attend this program, but you must register in advance to access the live sessions. Visit www.workersworldtoday.comp
BY ERIN TELESFORD
As abrasive and quicktempered New York ers are stereotyped to be, underneath the harsh exte rior, the people of New York are some of the most accepting people in the United States. The power that New Yorkers hold in their level of accept ance and push for positive change can influence the atti tudes of the rest of the coun try. NYC's elected Comptroller, Brad Lander, be lieves the power of the people can change the current hous ing crisis affecting the city. In an interview with Pearl Phillip, our Editor-in-Chief and Host of People, Power and Politics, Lander explains his role as Comptroller and the agency's goals.
As the NYC Comptroller, Lander oversees the fiscal ac tivity of businesses, agencies, and organizations in New York, such as the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Depart ment of Corrections (DOC).
By September 2022, Lander re leased data on the DOC and Rikers island, information that had never been made avail able to the public before, on the NYC Comptroller's web site. This information could lead to more discoveries of the hidden parts of the DOC and law enforcement.
The City Comptroller must audit every city agency to im prove government services' quality, efficiency, and in tegrity. Starting with one of
the most immediate and pressing matters facing New York's working class is the housing crisis. Lander states they were able to end the "tax giveaway boondoggle program called 421, a $1.8 billion for-profit developers for almost all luxury housing, in the name of affordable housing, but no real affordable housing." 421A is a tax break program "designed to offset the high cost of building in New York and high property taxes on rental proper ties," or, in actuality, an exemption that allows developers to skip a payment on property taxes without the required 20% affordable units. Lander worked with the NYCHA to make sure this loop hole would be abolished.
Lander explains he audited the NYCHA many times and found that "doors aren't locking, the roofs aren't well maintained, the playgrounds aren't in good shape… but the audits don't have the power to require change." Previously, the Comptroller has done town halls, family days, and surveys to involve the community in decision-making. How ever, change can only be acquired through constant pressure on our gov ernment to give leaders like the Comp troller, those who are dedicated to improving the lives of NYC citizens, more power to enforce positive alter ations in how these agencies are run. This is where the power of the people is most necessary.
Another development meant to build change in inequality is the Inflation Re duction Act Biden signed in August. Al though the Federal Reserve is attempting to get it under control, inflation is prima rily affecting the working class and lowincome people the most. Lander says, "Even though unemployment is down, Black unemployment is still four times the national unemployment rate." People all over the city, the Bronx, and parts of Brooklyn, are struggling due to a lack of opportunities. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is being used to change this by creating jobs. The IRA is focused on cli mate change, which can mean jobs like solar panel installers, all while the federal government will pay for these panels to be installed. Black and Brown people will benefit from this act if these jobs go to them.
Property Tax Reform is another cam paign the Comptroller runs to allocate taxes fairly throughout New York. Lan
der conducted a study on homeowners in "Southeast Queens, Eastern and Central Brooklyn, the Northeast Bronx," places more likely to have Black and Brown people disadvantaged by the property tax rate. Homeowners in Man hattan and Brownstone, Brooklyn pay a lower effective tax rate, "it is a reflection of systemic racism." Lander's plan for change is to make sure every homeowner pays the same effective tax rate. "And if your home is worth more, that means you'll pay more. If your home is worth less, you'll pay less." The Comptroller held press conferences and town halls to gain support, exchange information, and push for change. The voice of the home owners is the most important in this case and many more.
The power of the people was demonstrated recently with the awful transportation of 50 migrants from Texas to New York by Governor Greg Ab bott. Lander visited Port Au thority, where two buses of these migrants arrived, and de scribed what he saw: New Yorkers of all backgrounds banded together to help those who were confused and lost after being lied to. Lander ex plained that "volunteers were the most diverse group of im migrants themselves." Mus lims, Central and South American immigrants, a Jew ish soup kitchen, and the New York Immigration Coalition were all there to provide im mediate needs, food, clothing, and shelter. Gov. Abbott com mitted this cruel deed to demonstrate that all other Americans would react to this situation the same cynical way he would, but he was proven wrong. New York is a place that gives people welcome and opportunity, a city full of im migrants who know the strug gle and have the heart and humanity to help others through it and invoke a change in the system.
The Comptroller's office wants to hear your struggles and what they should be working on. Visit comptrol ler.nyc.gov to have your voice heard.p
Listen to the full interview at
