Employers in New York have long complained about the high cost of their workers' compensation. Yet, for a considerable number of New York's employers, the proposed budget calls for their costs to go higher.
This year's proposed budget includes a change in how assessments are calculated that, if passed, will automatically raise the cost of workers' compensation for the roughly 170,000 New York employers insured by the State Insurance Fund.
This added cost is not due to any rate increase or even to any other variable that is used to calculate an employer's cost. This proposed legislated change in the calculation of assessments, an artificial change, will be the cause of their increased cost.
The governor's office, while spending advertising dollars on an "Open for Business" campaign, knows this assessment change will have this impact.
New York deserves better than this.
DAVID DICKSON
Fairport