Mo. Gov. Names Bartlett to Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, Notes Support for Comp Reform

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt recently announced Alice Bartlett of Chillicothe as his nominee for the employer representative position on the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission.

The appointment comes the same week both the House and Senate were scheduled to debate the workers’ compensation issue. Gov. Blunt supports the efforts of lawmakers to purge the workers’ comp system of fraud, tighten eligibility for the state’s second injury fund, and make Missouri’s workplace safe.

Bartlett, 61, most recently served as the human resource manager at Wire Rope Corporation of American Inc., where she worked for nearly 12 years hiring and managing all personnel of the manufacturing facility.

“Alice Bartlett is qualified to work on this case review board because she embodies the perspective of a fair employer,” Blunt said. “She reflects the view of this administration that true cases of workplace injury must be justly compensated while faulty claims and unnecessary litigation must be eliminated.”

The appointment of Bartlett is subject to senate confirmation. The Missouri Senate has already confirmed William Ringer, Blunt’s nominee to chair the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission. The three-member commission is rounded out by John Hickey, the employee representative.

The Labor and Industrial Relations Commission is the governing body of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The body hears appeals for final decisions in workers’ comp award cases, unemployment compensation, and victims of crime compensation cases. The commission also has the ability to decide wage disputes and modify workers’ comp death awards or permanent disability.