Manufacturer's Comp Costs Quadrupled after ICE Bust Forced Layoffs

A bankrupt Northern California manufacturer told local media that its workers' compensation costs quadrupled after a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement audit forced it to lay off a third of its workers in 2011.Pacific Steel in Berkeley, Calif., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the U.S. District Court in Oakland on March 10, according to a report by KQED News. Many of the 200 workers who were forced to leave their jobs because of invalid Social Security numbers filed workers' compensation claims, the company told KQED, a National Public Radio affiliate.The company, which manufa...