Union Sues N.Y. Board Over Conciliation Policy

The New York State Public Employees Federation charged in a lawsuit filed Friday that the workers' compensation board overstepped the law when it expanded a conciliation program that could force injured workers into accepting settlements for reduced benefits. The state Workers' Compensation Law limits the use of conciliation to cases in which the duration of benefits is expected to be less than 52 weeks. The union said that in November the New York State WCB expanded the program to include more claims. The effect was it blocked an injured worker's chance for "timely fair hearing before a la...