Sedgwick: The Scourge Goes Beyond Local 100

SEPTEMBER 25—Over the summer, thousands of Local 100 members discovered firsthand Sedgwick’s incompetence in paying workers comp payments. 

It turns out that our experience is not unique. At the just-held TWU Constitutional Convention in Las Vegas, Local 579, representing some 6,800 Jet Blue flight attendants, introduced a resolution declaring that their members “have been abused, ignored, mistreated, disrespected, and caused pain by the unprofessional, uncourteous, and uncaring third-party claims/benefits administrator, Sedgwick.”

That resolution – approved unanimously by the delegate body – called on employers, including the MTA and Jet Blue, to cut out middlemen like Sedgwick. The MTA paid Sedgwick a whopping $51 million in a three-year contract to “reduce costs by $20 million or more,” money that will come right off the backs of transit workers.

After Local 100 was informed in mid-July by the MTA that 3,600 claims for payments to ill and injured workers were being delayed, President John V. Chiarello blasted Janno Lieber and the MTA at a board meeting and held a press conference in which he highlighted specific examples of union members left high and dry when their payments for on the job injuries were delayed. Both retirees and active members were caught in the pay squeeze.

The nation’s largest employer, Walmart, also has a contract with Sedgwick, which uses the same delay/deny playbook for their non-union workers.

Writing on Reddit, one Walmart worker said he got the flu and was immediately fired after he made the mistake of not calling out every day and Sedgwick denied his leave of absence.

Another commenter said: “3 times has Sedgwick managed to completely FUBAR/SNAFU my wife’s maternity leave. She has great insurance via her job (maybe not so great because they use Sedgwick to process claims). Sedgwick seem to do everything in their power to screw things up so claims aren’t paid out properly. They’ve flat out lied to my wife, to the point she now asks for name, position, department, direct contact phone and email from anyone she talks to from Sedgwick.”

Sedgwick also has a history of denying time off for injured workers both in and out of TWU.

"Sedwick FU my leave too. Had been in a wreck, it messed my back up. I was still trying to work but, they said i could only be off 3 hours two times a week," said another Reddit commenter. "Anyone who has a back injury knows if its flaring up it is not gonna get better in 3 hours. All my dr and i asked for was 2 days out a week occasionally 3 days if it was exceptionally bad.”

Still another: “Sedgwick got me fired from my job as a caregiver for an assisted living due to their failure to communicate within their company.”

In the "About Us" section of Sedgwick's website, it says: "In everything we do, we provide caring that counts. It’s what we’re known for. Getting people back to wellness, reviving communities and helping organizations succeed requires a deep well of humanity. It’s the kind of caring that is, and always will be, at the very heart of who we are."

It's unclear where exactly that "deep well of humanity" is within Sedgwick, but one thing is clear: this predatory company is a menace to workers, and the only thing standing in their way now may be the power of organized labor.

The fight is not over.