Arnold & Itkin Attorneys Condemn Transocean Decision To End Full Wages For Injured Workers
In a mid-October court filing, Transocean Ltd. declared that it may discontinue full wages and benefits to crew members injured in April's Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. The company already had sent letters to crew members offering to settle claims for six months pay. Those same letters informed the workers that their salaries would be substituted with maritime law "maintenance and cure" benefits of some $375 every two weeks, or little more than $25 per day.
Houston maritime attorney Kurt Arnold was stunned by the company's apparent intent to cut its injured workers' salaries and benefits only six months after the catastrophic destruction of the oil rig. The accident resulted in the deaths of eleven crew members and serious injuries to many others.
"It's appalling that this company, which has already caused so much damage and suffering, would now take men who made $10,000 to $15,000 a month and cut their salaries to $25 a day," said Arnold, a partner in the Houston maritime law firm of Arnold & Itkin LLP. The firm represents about 25 of the injured Transocean workers. "These workers don't deserve this type of treatment," Arnold admonished.
Arnold noted further that cutting the employees' pay "will only add to the suffering of these workers and their families." As he observed, "It doesn't take too many months of missing your salary before you have trouble paying your bills."
Arnold challenged the timing of Transocean's announcement and its letters asking injured workers to settle their claims in exchange for an agreement not to sue. "All of this is calculated to pressure the families to settle quick and cheap," Arnold said.
Jason Itkin, also a partner in Arnold & Itkin LLP, characterized Transocean's decision to slash injured workers' salaries as another example of the company saying one thing and doing another. Shortly after the horrific accident aboard the Deepwater Horizon, Transocean's president and CEO, Steven L. Newman, said in a released statement that the company's "first commitment has always been and will continue to be the safety and well-being of our people." The company's current plan to cut the workers' salaries to $25 per day was "very hypocritical," in Itkin's opinion.
Arnold & Itkin LLP attorneys serve clients in Texas and throughout the nation, handling maritime injury and many other types of complex cases.
If you have any questions regarding a maritime incident or have suffered a maritime injury, contact a maritime attorney online at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free consultation or call our maritime law office toll free at 866-222-2606.
