Local 3 Compensation Department currently provides representation for Local 3 members who become ill or who are injured on the job and have a NYS Workers Compensation claim. If the member retains a Local 3 Representative to represent them, that member is represented free of charge in their NYS Workers Compensation case. This is a benefit Local 3 provides for its members now and will continue to provide into the future. But even though Local 3 provides this benefit to its members, sometimes a member feels compelled to retain an attorney instead of using the Local 3 Representative for their NYS Workers Compensation claim. In some cases, the member may have a third-party lawsuit also which would require them to retain an attorney.
Local 3 does not discourage a member from using an attorney for their worker’s compensation claim, the member is always free to retain who they want at whatever the cost they choose to incur for those services. But quite often members who need an attorney for either type of case ask Local 3 to give them a referral of one for their claim. So in the member’s best interest, Local 3 with the Executive Board’s approval has established a Preferred Workers Compensation Attorney List for members seeking counsel in their N.Y.S. Workers Compensation claims and a Preferred Legal Providers List for members seeking counsel in third-party lawsuits. These two lists were made up of multiple attorneys who have represented our members and å_others successfully and professionally in the past and who Local 3 feels would be deserving of being on a referral list for Local 3 members to consider. These lists of multiple attorneys will be given to the members seeking referrals from Local 3 for the member to freely choose from.
On May 24, 2016 Local 3 invited the attorneys who were being considered to be on these two lists to come to Local 3 and negotiate an agreement. After much time and effort, Local 3 and the considered attorneys have successfully negotiated reduced rates for the legal fees that Local 3 members will be charged by these select attorneys to represent them, in exchange for being part of Local 3’s Preferred Lists. Each of these Preferred Attorneys on either of our Lists have signed agreements with Local 3, that are effective as of July 1, 2016 for our members to benefit from.
Any Local 3 member that retains an attorney from the Preferred Workers Compensation Attorney List to represent them in their NYS Workers Compensation claim will receive a 10% reduction in their legal fees that the attorney requests from the Workers Compensation Law Judge, Mediator, or Arbitrator that is overseeing the case. This reduction will generate a savings on legal fees directly to the member that they normally would have had to pay the attorney out of their settlement.
If a Local 3 member retains an attorney from the Preferred Legal Provider List to represent them in a third party case, the rate for legal fees for the attorneys on our list will be 28% of the final award that the member receives instead of the standard 33.33 %. This reduction will generate a savings on legal fees directly to the member that they normally would have had to pay the attorney out of their third-party settlement.
Local 3 reserves the right to add or remove attorneys from the Preferred Lists that will better meet the objectives laid out in our agreement. If any member needs a copy or any information regarding the Preferred Workers Compensation List or the Preferred Legal Provider List, you may call the Local 3 Compensation Department and it will be provided to you.
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