Keep workers safe, not insurers richer

New York’s Scaffold Law protects workers from falls by holding negligent contractors accountable [“It’s time to undo the Scaffold Law,” Editorial, Sept. 23]. Upstate Rep. Nick Langworthy is pushing a bill in Congress to override it on projects using federal funds. Newsday claims the state “might” cut costs “if elected officials had the courage to tackle the Scaffold Law.”

Newsday is right to note that Long Island taxpayers are overburdened, but Langworthy’s bill shifts the medical costs of injured workers from the at-fault party to taxpayers at a time when insurers are reporting record profits and Long Islanders are being squeezed.

Big Insurance lobbyists want you to believe the Scaffold Law makes projects more expensive. The facts say otherwise. I

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