Big news from 1199SEIU in New York — nursing home CEO Helen Sieger has been arrested and charged with a felony for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for her workers:
Helen Sieger, the owner and operator of Kingsbridge Heights Nursing Home in the Bronx was arrested on Thursday for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for hundreds of 1199SEIU members. The workers have been on an unfair labor practices strike since February 20, 2008.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the arrest, saying that Sieger failed to have workers’ compensation coverage for over one year, from May 31, 2007 to June 26, 2008.
The arrest is the first in New York State under a new workers’ compensation law, which became effective on April 12, 2007 and makes it a felony for employers to fail to have this insurance for their workers. Under the new law, any employer of more than five people who fails to cover their employees through this insurance is committing a class “E” felony, punishable by up to four years in prison. Under the previous law, the crime was a misdemeanor…
“Today’s arrest should send a strong message: Employers who think they can wait until they get caught before getting workers’ compensation insurance are in for a rude awakening,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “Any employer trying to cheat workers and the State by failing to have workers’ compensation insurance will be held accountable by my office. Providing protection for workers injured on the job is the law, and we all share the cost when employers ignore taking care of their employees.”
For background, here’s more information on the Kingsbridge Heights strike.