Poor treatment of injured workers
helps boost transplant profits

Transplant automakers are continuing to lead the way when it comes to cost-cutting their way to record profits. Just ask Shane Marshall and Joe Miskell.

“I never knew they would be this way until I got hurt,” says Marshall. The 36-year-old single father has been through months of severe pain, surgery and countless doctor visits from a neck injury that also nearly wiped out his personal savings. He says all that he’s been through has been made worse by how his employer, Honda Manufacturing of Lincoln, Ala., responded to his injury – with bureaucratic foot dragging that, he says, the company hoped would force him to quit.

Keeping workers from using costly treatments and workers compensation is part of a cost-saving strategy that has served transplant automakers in the U.S., such as Honda, well. Honda recorded $5.77 billion in profits in their latest fiscal year April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008.

Marshall’s troubles began when he injured his neck doing engine assembly at Honda in December 2006. “I hurt so bad I could hardly stand or walk when I got home that next morning. Still, I went to work the next night, and I couldn’t move. They sent me to their medical department and gave me two shots.” Then, the labyrinth of ineffective treatments, mixed messages from company-referred doctors and testing began. None of the doctors he saw could pinpoint what was causing him so much pain. This went on for months.

Catch-22 in favor of Honda. After seeing several doctors, Marshall says one of the doctors said he could return to work, but with minor, permanent restrictions on the job. No deal, said Honda – we won’t employ you with restrictions. And since you can’t work, we won’t pay you.

Told by his employer he was not fit for work, and stuck without a paycheck, Marshall figured his next move was to apply for workers’ compensation. No deal there either, said Honda – you’re not disabled because your doctor said you can return to work!

After more testing and still no relief for Marshall, Honda offered him a job at the plant they said would be easier. When he showed up the first day, his new coworkers said “Are you crazy? They know you can’t do this job because of your injury and they want you to quit.” The job involved constant twisting and turning and jumping in and out of vehicles. Marshall tried it for one day and was in so much pain, he was back at the doctor. He soon found out he had bacterial meningitis, likely caused by contamination during previous testing from a doctor Honda referred him to. That landed him in the hospital for eleven days, five in intensive care on life support.

He’s still not back to work today, and says he is still in pain, has memory loss and his savings are drained. Honda did put him on workers’ compensation eventually, but that’s going to run out soon. And Marshall says he doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

“I think it’s terrible how the company has treated me. They’re looking for an excuse to get rid of me. They don’t want the liability and don’t want to pay me.”

Marshall says if workers had a real voice at Honda, this wouldn’t be happening. “If we had a union here, they couldn’t just get rid of people who are injured and find cheaper replacements. They couldn’t string them along like they’ve done with me and bide their time until they can cut off my pay.”

Tossed to the curb. Joe Miskell also knows what it’s like to be injured on the job and then face run around from the company and dwindling pay. The 38-year-old assembly worker at Toyota in Georgetown, Ky. injured his back on job in early 2007. In constant pain because of the herniated and bulging discs, and barely able to walk, he too has seen more doctors and had more tests and ineffective treatments than he can count. “Eventually, Toyota’s doctor said I was a ‘high risk’ employee and asked me how much pain and money is it worth for me to work there?”

He’s on disability, but Miskell says Toyota keeps cutting his benefits. Soon, they’ll run out. “I worked hard there and wanted to stay there my entire life, but once something happens to you they throw you out like a piece of garbage.” Miskell says so many of his coworkers are also injured and are still on the assembly line, afraid to ask for company medical care. “If you walk down the line, twenty percent of the people have some kind of brace or are using pills and rubs to try to treat themselves. They’re scared to tell Toyota they’re hurt because they won’t come back if they do. Once Toyota got on top with sales, they stopped caring.” For the latest fiscal year, April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008, Toyota posted profits of $16.54 billion, up 4.5% from the previous year.

Miskell says if workers had input into how they were treated when they’re injured, this wouldn’t be happening. “I think workers should be on an equal plane with management.”