Saturday, December 20, 2014

Generous L.A. city policy rewards workers who take long injury leaves

Generous L.A. city policy rewards workers who take long injury leaves - LA Times
Los Angeles Police Department clerk Demeturius Matthews took a full year off for an on-the-job injury after she banged her elbow into a metal filing cabinet. 
She didn't break any bones, city records show, but a chiropractor declared her temporarily disabled.
She took a second year off after smacking her knee into her desk. 
A third yearlong leave began after she said she felt pain between her shoulder blades while reaching for her phone.
Matthews collected $170,000 in salary while on those leaves, and increased her take-home pay by thousands of dollars during the time off under an unusually generous Los Angeles city leave policy for civilian workers.
Under that program, the average injured worker is paid nearly 90% of base pay, and at least one employee received 100%, a recent city audit shows.

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