Every day across Ohio, construction workers are building something.

New homes. New schools. New hospitals. New roads. New bridges. And, of course, the seemingly endless orange barrel obstacle courses that we Ohio drivers have come to know and love.

(We're pretty sure the orange construction barrel is Ohio's unofficial state flower.)

But behind every construction project are hardworking men and women doing some of the most physically demanding and potentially dangerous jobs in our state.

During Construction Safety Week, The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC wants to recognize the people who build Ohio and remind everyone that workplace safety isn't just a good idea. It can be the difference between going home to your family at the end of the day and ending up in a hospital.

🦺 Construction Work Comes With Real Risks

Construction sites are constantly changing. One day, a worker may be pouring concrete. The next, they're working on scaffolding, operating heavy equipment or carrying materials across an unfinished job site.

And with those changing conditions come hazards.

Some of the most common include:

• Falls from heights: Ladders, scaffolding, roofs and elevated platforms can turn a momentary mistake into a life-changing injury.
• Struck-by accidents: Falling tools, moving equipment and swinging loads can cause serious injuries.
• Caught-in or caught-between accidents: Machinery, trenches and heavy materials can create dangerous situations.
• Electrical hazards: Contact with energized equipment or power lines can result in severe injuries or death.
• Overexertion and lifting injuries: Heavy materials and repetitive physical work can take a toll on backs, shoulders, knees and other body parts.
• Slips and trips: Uneven ground, loose materials, mud, rain and debris create hazards even when workers are standing on solid ground.

And while we appreciate the creativity of construction workers, “I've done it this way for 20 years and nothing bad has happened yet” isn't an OSHA-approved safety procedure.

🔨 Safety Is Everyone's Responsibility

Construction safety isn't just about wearing a hard hat and hoping for the best.

It requires planning, training, proper equipment and communication.

Employers and contractors should identify hazards, provide appropriate protective equipment, maintain safe working conditions and ensure workers receive necessary training.

Workers also play an important role by following safety procedures, using protective equipment correctly, communicating with coworkers and reporting dangerous conditions.

And perhaps most importantly, everyone needs to remember that no deadline is worth someone's life or health.

Getting a project finished on time matters. Getting everyone home safely matters more.

⚖️ What Happens When a Construction Worker Gets Hurt in Ohio?

Despite everyone's best efforts, workplace accidents still happen.

Fortunately, Ohio has a workers' compensation system designed to provide benefits for workers who suffer compensable injuries or occupational diseases arising from their employment.

Ohio workers' compensation is generally a no-fault system. That means an injured construction worker usually doesn't have to prove that the employer did something wrong to qualify for benefits.

Depending on the circumstances, benefits may include medical treatment, temporary total disability compensation, wage loss compensation, permanent partial disability compensation and other benefits provided by Ohio law.

And here's something construction workers should understand:

You don't necessarily lose your right to workers' compensation benefits just because you made a mistake that contributed to your injury.

Workers' compensation is not supposed to be a contest to determine who was the perfect employee on the day of the accident.

Of course, there are exceptions and legal requirements, and every claim depends on its particular facts.

Ohio law also provides additional compensation in certain cases involving violations of specific safety requirements, commonly called VSSR claims.

These claims are separate from ordinary workers' compensation benefits and involve additional legal requirements.

🏗️ The Most Important Thing Built on Any Job Site Is a Culture of Safety

Construction workers take pride in what they build.

Years from now, someone may drive across a bridge, attend a school, visit a hospital or live in a home that exists because of the work those men and women performed.

That's something worth celebrating.

But the greatest accomplishment of any construction project isn't finishing ahead of schedule or under budget.

It's sending every worker home safely at the end of the day.

For more than three decades, The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC has represented injured Ohio workers, including the men and women who work in construction and the skilled trades.

We've seen what can happen when safety measures fail. We've also seen the determination of injured workers and their families as they work toward recovery.

Above all, please stay safe out there.  We don’t need clients that badly and we don’t want to bow our heads at a Workers’ Memorial Day remembrance with your name being called. 

During Construction Safety Week, we thank Ohio's construction workers for everything they do to build and maintain our communities.

Keep building Ohio. Keep looking out for one another. And above all, stay safe!

Because the only thing we want falling on a construction site is the temperature as we move into autumn.

#ConstructionSafetyWeek #ConstructionSafety #OhioConstruction #WorkplaceSafety #SafetyFirst #OhioWorkersComp #OhioWorkersCompensation #InjuredWorkers #ConstructionWorkers #SkilledTrades #JobSiteSafety #WorkersCompensation #OhioWorkers #WorkingFamilies #KurtMYoungLaw

When we hear the word “hero”, it's easy to picture someone wearing a cape, carrying a shield or swinging through the city on a web.

But on “National Hero Day”, we'd like to recognize another kind of hero—the people who get up every morning, go to work and quietly keep Ohio running.

They build our roads and buildings. They manufacture the products we use every day. They deliver our packages. They care for our families. They teach our children. They respond when we call 911. They stock our stores, drive our trucks, repair our utilities and do thousands of other jobs that most of us rarely stop to think about.

They don't wear capes. They wear work boots, scrubs, uniforms, hard hats, tool belts and sometimes whatever shirt was clean that morning.

At The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, those are the heroes we've been proud to represent for more than three decades.

Heroes Can Get Hurt, Too

Being dedicated to your job doesn't make you invincible.

A firefighter can hurt a shoulder responding to an emergency. A nurse can injure a back moving a patient. A construction worker can fall. A factory worker can suffer an injury operating machinery. A delivery driver can be hurt lifting a package.

Sometimes injuries happen in a split second. Others develop over time.

And when workers are injured, they can suddenly find themselves facing medical appointments, lost wages, bills, paperwork and a workers' compensation system they never expected to have to understand.

That's when the people who spend their careers helping everyone else sometimes need a little help themselves.

Ohio Workers' Compensation Is There for Workers

Ohio's workers' compensation system exists to provide benefits to workers who suffer compensable workplace injuries and occupational diseases. Depending on the circumstances, those benefits can include medical treatment and different types of compensation.

And here's something important:

You don't have to save someone from a burning building to deserve protection when you're injured doing your job.

The person stocking shelves at midnight matters.

The person pouring concrete matters.

The person caring for an elderly patient matters.

The person driving a school bus matters.

The person working the assembly line matters.

The person fixing a power line in miserable weather definitely matters.

Every worker deserves to come home safely at the end of the day.

Our Kind of Heroes Don't Need Capes.  After more than three decades representing injured Ohio workers, we've met plenty of people we'd call heroes.

Most would probably laugh if we called them that.  They'll tell you: “I was just doing my job.”

And maybe that's the point.

A community works because millions of people get up every day and just do their jobs, often difficult, physical, stressful and essential jobs, with very little recognition.

So on National Hero Day, The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC says thank you to Ohio's workers.

To our first responders, healthcare workers and members of the military, absolutely.

But also to the machinists, laborers, teachers, truck drivers, construction workers, custodians, warehouse workers, utility workers, retail employees, food-service workers and everyone else whose work keeps our communities moving.

You don't need a cape to be someone's hero. Sometimes a hard hat will do just fine.  

#NationalHeroDay #EverydayHeroes #OhioWorkers #WorkingFamilies #EssentialWorkers #FirstResponders #HealthcareWorkers #ConstructionWorkers #FactoryWorkers #WorkplaceSafety #OhioWorkersComp #OhioWorkersCompensation #InjuredWorkers #KurtMYoungLaw

This week, we recognize National Primary Care Physicians Week and the doctors who do something increasingly difficult in modern medicine: actually get to know their patients.

Primary care physicians are often the first call when something isn't right. They treat the everyday illnesses, manage chronic conditions, coordinate specialty care, keep track of medications and, perhaps most importantly, develop relationships with patients over years.

They know your medical history. They know what is normal for you. Sometimes they even remember the thing you were hoping they had forgotten since your last physical.

At The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we also see another important role primary care physicians can play: helping injured workers recover after a workplace injury.

Ohio Workers' Compensation Can Complicate the Doctor-Patient Relationship

When you're hurt at work, you might naturally think:

“I'll just go see my regular doctor.”

Unfortunately, it isn't always that simple.

Not every physician is willing to treat patients through the Ohio workers' compensation system. 

Ohio’s Workers' compensation treatment involves complicated rules, additional paperwork, authorization requirements, communication with managed care organizations and the BWC, medical documentation addressing the allowed conditions, and forms concerning an injured worker's ability to return to work.

For a busy primary care practice, that can be a lot to take on and most don’t.

As a result, an injured worker may discover that the physician who has treated them for years doesn't handle workers' compensation claims.

That's frustrating for the patient and we understand why many physicians find the system frustrating, too.

Why a Good Treating Physician Matters

Now, outside of Workers’ Compensation they can be critical.  Kurt himself has not once but twice had his primary care doctor diagnose an issue no one else spotted and it is not a stretch to say saving his life. 

In an Ohio workers' compensation claim, medical care and legal issues frequently overlap.

Your physician isn't just treating the injury. Medical evidence can be critical when determining your restrictions, ability to return to your former job, need for treatment, additional conditions and eligibility for certain forms of compensation.

That makes having a physician who understands both you and the workers' compensation process especially valuable.

And that's why we appreciate the primary care physicians who are willing to care for injured workers.

They aren't just filling out forms. They're treating a person who wants to recover, get back to work when medically appropriate and get back to everyday life.

To Ohio's Primary Care Physicians: Thank You

Primary care doctors are asked to do an extraordinary amount these days—and somehow still expected to accomplish it during an appointment that never seems long enough.

So during National Primary Care Physicians Week, we'd like to say thank you.

Thank you for taking the phone calls.

Thank you for reviewing the records.

Thank you for completing the paperwork.

Thank you for explaining restrictions.

Thank you for coordinating care.

And a special thank you to the physicians who are willing to navigate the additional challenges that come with treating Ohio's injured workers.

At The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we've spent more than three decades representing injured workers. One thing we've learned during that time is that a good attorney can help navigate the legal system—but good medical care is essential to getting an injured worker back on their feet.

This week, we're grateful for the primary care physicians who make that possible.

**#NationalPrimaryCarePhysiciansWeek #PrimaryCare #PrimaryCarePhysicians #ThankYouDoctors #OhioDoctors #OhioWorkersComp #OhioWorkersCompensation #InjuredWorkers #WorkplaceInjury #WorkersComp #OhioWorkers #WorkingFamilies #KurtMYoungLaw**

There is a lot to like about fall in Ohio: cooler temperatures, changing leaves, football, cider and pumpkin-flavored just about everything.

But fall also brings something less enjoyable: more opportunities to slip, trip and fall.

Wet leaves can be surprisingly slick. Rain makes sidewalks and loading docks slippery. Earlier sunsets mean workers may arrive or leave in the dark. And before we know it, frost and ice will join the party.

At The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we spend a lot of time helping people after they have been injured at work. We'd much rather see workers avoid the injury in the first place.

🍁 Watch Your Step — On AND Going Into the Job

Falls don't just happen while someone is operating machinery or working on a construction site. They can happen walking across a parking lot, climbing stairs, stepping onto a loading dock or simply making your way from the car to the front door.

A few simple habits can help:

• Slow down. Saving 30 seconds isn't worth spending weeks recovering from an injury.
• Watch for wet leaves. They can be almost as slippery as ice.
• Use handrails. They're there for a reason.
• Wear appropriate footwear, especially as frost and snow arrive.
• Keep walkways clear. Leaves, cords, tools and debris can quickly become trip hazards.
• Report hazards. If you see a dangerous condition at work, tell someone before you or a coworker finds it the hard way.
• Be especially careful in parking lots. Uneven pavement, potholes, curbs, poor lighting, leaves, rain, snow and ice can all create hazards.

🚗 What If You Fall in the Parking Lot Before or Leaving Work?

This is where Ohio workers' compensation law gets interesting.

People often hear that injuries while simply traveling to or from work generally aren't covered because of Ohio's “coming-and-going rule.” That's true as a starting point for many fixed-situs employees but it isn't the end of the story.

Ohio courts recognize a “zone of employment” exception. An employer-owned or controlled parking lot that employees use to enter or leave work can fall within that zone. Ohio courts also look at factors such as whether the employer required employees to park in a particular lot or area and the employer's control over that parking area.

That distinction matters. Ohio courts have also rejected claims where the employer happened to own a parking lot but the worker wasn't required to park there and had other parking options.

So, put simply: If you fall in your employer's parking lot or a parking area where your employer requires you to park the fact that you haven't punched the clock yet does not automatically mean you don't have an Ohio workers' compensation claim.

As with most things in workers' compensation, the particular facts matter.

🍂 Enjoy the Season Just Watch Where You're Walking

Ohio fall weather can change quickly. Sunshine in the afternoon can become wet leaves, darkness and frost before you know it.

So, enjoy the colors. Enjoy football, whether it is Buckeyes, Wolverines, Rockets, Browns, Lions or Kurt’s favorite the Bengals.

Enjoy the cider, there are some amazing places to get it in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Just try to keep the fall in the season and not in your workday.

And if you are injured going into work, while working, or leaving work, don't assume you aren't covered simply because someone tells you, “But you weren't on the clock.”

For more than three decades, The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC has helped Ohio's injured workers understand their rights.

This is general information about Ohio law, not legal advice. Whether a particular injury is compensable depends on the specific facts.

#OhioWorkersComp #WorkersCompensation #OhioWorkers #WorkplaceSafety #FallSafety #SlipAndFall #WorkplaceInjury #InjuredWorkers #ParkingLotSafety #OhioLaw #WorkingFamilies #KurtMYoungLaw

Every year on September 19, otherwise perfectly reasonable people are given permission to spend the day saying things like “Arrr!”, “Ahoy, matey!” and “Shiver me timbers!”

In 2011 the social media team at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation posted a social media post using it, and laughed when our very new social media team responded

Avast ye scurvy dogs at the BWC & IC, heave to and prepare to be boarded.  Give up all ye shinnies & rum.

So naturally, we at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC couldn’t let National Talk Like a Pirate Day sail by without joining the crew.

And believe it or not, pirates and Ohio workers’ compensation have a connection. Ever seen that stereotypical picture of the pirate from the 1700 & 1800’s?  We did our best job with the graphics, remember we’re lawyers, not artists. 

Well, the earrings and other decorations weren’t just for show.  We kid you not; it was a form of workplace injury protection. 

The first workers’ compensation laws were created in Germany (Prussia then) in 1884.  It didn’t make its way to the US until 1908 in Wisconsin and the the program we have now in Ohio started in 1913. 

Given that it didn’t exist yet, and we doubt captains were very law-abiding types, they needed something.

Imagine for a moment that you’re a pirate working aboard a ship:

You slip on a wet deck and hurt your back.

A crate falls from the rigging and lands on your foot.

You develop shoulder problems after years of hauling ropes.

An unfortunate swing of a sword, fire of flintlock or cannonball leaves you needing an eyepatch or a peg leg.

Arrr...that sounds like a workers’ compensation claim! (no, really, yes we’re being a bit tongue in cheek, but )

Of course, if your pirate ship were an Ohio employer, things would get considerably more complicated.

You’d need to report the injury right away.

It will be difficult finding that Ohio BWC Certified Provider on the sea or the next port. 

And back then, well medical testing was a bit, how shall we say, unavailable. 

There could be questions about what conditions are allowed in the claim, whether you can return to your former position of employment aka your role on the crew, what compensation you're entitled to receive, and perhaps even a trip before the Industrial Commission.

And suddenly: “Arrr! I be needing a lawyer to deal with these scurvy dogs”

That's when you may want somebody aboard who knows how to navigate the waters.

For more than three decades, The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC has helped injured Ohio workers navigate a workers’ compensation system that can sometimes feel like sailing through unfamiliar waters without a map.

Fortunately, you don't need to understand every statute, rule, form, hearing procedure, or deadline yourself.

That's our job.

And while we can't promise buried treasure, parrots, or a ship full of gold doubloons, Ohio workers’ compensation benefits can include medical treatment and various forms of compensation when the law allows them.

One more thing: unlike certain legendary pirates, please don't wait until you've lost a leg before asking for help.

If you're injured at work, knowing your rights early can matter.

So today, hoist the Jolly Roger, practice your best “ARRRR!”, and enjoy one of the sillier holidays on the calendar.

And remember: If ye be injured on the job in Ohio, ye may need more than a treasure map to find the benefits ye deserve.

Avast ye scurvy dogs at the BWC & IC, heave to and prepare to be boarded.  Give up all ye shinnies & rum.

Happy National Talk Like a Pirate Day from the crew at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC! 🏴‍☠️⚖️

Disclaimer from the Captain: Kurt Young is licensed in Ohio, not on the Seven Seas. This post is for general information and pirate-related amusement and is not legal advice.

#TalkLikeAPirateDay #NationalTalkLikeAPirateDay #Arrr #OhioWorkersComp #OhioWorkersCompensation #InjuredWorkers #OhioWorkers #WorkplaceInjury #WorkersCompLaw #OhioLaw #WorkingFamilies #LawOfficesOfKurtMYoung #KurtMYoungLawrt customizing

Very Few of us who were alive will ever forget where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. It was such a beautiful and sunny day in Toledo. I had gone to the YMCA on Summit Street, worked out, showered and dressed for the day. 

The news broke somewhere between when I left a parking garage I parked at a block or so south of my office at a former firm, where I was a partner at on Erie Street, and when I arrived in the office.

I walked into our third floor lobby to our staff huddled around a TV in our large conference room. They told me of the first plane hitting the first tower. I told them the story of a WW II bomber hitting the Empire State Building in a rainy, foggy night. But much like Toledo, NYC had perfectly clear skies.

And then we saw the second plane hitting the second tower and I knew it was terrorism.  Tom Clancy had written a book I read a short time before called Debt of Honor where someone slammed a plane into the US Capitol Building to seek revenge.  

Not long after word broke of the plane hitting the Pentagon a client showed up for his appointment. He was a World War II veteran and I asked him if he wanted to go forward with our meeting. He asked if I did. I said sure, this was my generation’s Pearl Harbor, but we were safe in Toledo and I couldn’t do anything that minute to help anyone. Either in the midst of that meeting or shortly after the first tower fell.  

I explained to our team that both or at least part of both would eventually collapse. No building could take that kind of hit. Then the confusion and fear spread further.  Word broke of a car bomb near the State Department building in DC, which was false. Then word of a fourth plane and it crashing outside of Pittsburg. We found out that our local air national guard, the 180th Fighter Wing had been sent to shoot it down, but it was crashed before then.

My boss wouldn’t let everyone go home yet. I went to lunch with my wife and some friends as she is a pastor and our team at her church needed to meet and reconfigure Sunday’s service. After lunch, my boss finally relented and we told everyone who wanted to leave they could with pay. But a group of holdouts refused to go. So I decided to stay as the management person.  

My wife and child were safe, obsessing about missing relatives, all of whom were fine, wasn’t healthy, so I worked the files at work. Later that afternoon, I got a frantic phone call from our second floor telling me there was a fifth plane, it was in Toledo airspace, and was resisting orders to land. The remaining staff people were panicked.

I got them to tell me where they got their info, went onto the website and read the story.

It wasn’t breaking news but the recap of the local angle to the story.  

Flight 93 was in Toledo Airspace, between Toledo and Mansfield, when the hijackers took control. Again we had a pair of fighters at our air national guard base on alert and they went after it. About 7 or so planes did emergency landings in Toledo. No fifth plane nearby.

Later that day, when we finally got everyone to go home, I joined my wife and my two years and four month old daughter. The adults took turns watching video after video, while the other played with our daughter in the sun room off of our living room.

Of all of the videos, the horror of the planes hitting three of the largest buildings in the world, one hit me the most and my wife couldn’t get why it, of all the other horrors of the day, hit me the worst.

A man had a camera and was blocks away when one of the towers collapsed. The wave of ashes and debris blew over him as he ducked under a car. But it wasn’t the sights of the video, it was the sound. Specifically a piercing chorus of sounds.

I have spent three decades now representing injured first responders. Thanks to my position on Toledo City Council, I had the honor of chairing the Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Committee of Toledo City Council, and even at an event called Fire Ops 101, got a one day taste of the job.

I knew about the emergency locator beacons, being the son and great grand son of volunteer firefighters back then, and that the sound I heard was several hundred New York Firefighters in distress all at once. I knew the toll in the those who ran to that danger was going to be staggering.

And then I was taught a lesson by my child we weren’t screening her enough. She was playing and build a tower of bricks and crashed a toy plane into it. So the TV finally went off for a while.

Within about 24 hours, as I could see the men & women of the 180th Fighter Wing flying a combat air patrol to protect us from any attempt to hit us from Canada, I had an idea what I could do to help.

We had a young associate who really wanted to do will and probate work. I am a Navy dependent, and but for a really thick set of glasses would have served in the JAG Corps right out of the law school.  I therefore knew, we were going to be undertaking the most massive deployment of troops in decades. So I contacted the local Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and National Guard units and asked to talk to the JAG officer assigned. As expected, to say they were overwhelmed by the coming task was understatement. 

So thanks to a great team of partners, that associate and our support staff, we decided to offer to any local active duty or reserve military personnel a free will and durable power of attorney and discounted ones for their families.  And we did hundreds. Within a day of our story hitting local media, many firms throughout our area joined us.

A month or so later, I signed up for Trial Lawyers Care, which was started by the now American Association for Justice. Because of the scale of the tragedy of 9-11, with people killed in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia and a web of possible ways to get families help, a clearinghouse was set up with training and insurance to cover us. We would provide free assistance with workers’ compensation claims, social security survivors claims, and eventually claims to funds for those injured on the ground.   

That December, my wife and a team from our church got to do something constructive on the ground. She and two others trained as grief counselors went to a church, blocks from Ground Zero in New York and offered prayer and comfort to those working “The Pile”. It was a mound of what was the World Trade Center, the picture with the candle was shot just outside the work area. The team wanted to record and be a little light in that darkness.

Our local Muslim Community faced incredible hate and anger. Threats to attack the local Muslim schools, their children, and the local mosques were way too common.  So our church joined a group of others in the area. We would form a group of people who would come and stand watch outside so the children could play outside, their teachers eat lunch, and any troublemakers would face a wall of Christian witnesses to go through.

I will never forget the hospitality and gratitude we were shown for doing that, the basic thing our faith would compel us to do.

Since then, my family and I have been twice to where Flight 93 went down in Shanksville, PA. And we visited the Ground Zero Memorial in New York and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, VA.

If you’ve never gone to them, they are truly holy ground. You can almost feel the energy, not of the horrible evil that cost so many lives that day but of the courage and heroism that saved many more. The first responders and ordinary people running to danger, helping others escape it, giving their lives all leaves an impression you can feel. 

As the quote from the Roman poet Virgil on a wall at the memorial in New York says “No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time.”. I am glad I didn’t know when I took the picture why the wall was so long and massive. Behind it is a room where many of the dead’s remains are and the families can come visit them.

Today we remember those who died that day and over the years since including 343 firefighters, 23 police officers, 37 Port Authority police officers, who ran to the danger instead of from it. And the more than 2,200 civilians the couldn’t rescue and the 550,000 plus they did.

God bless those we lost, those who committed such amazing acts of heroism, kindness, sacrifice, that we know of and many more that we don’t. And please protect us from another day like that. We will never forget you all.

For many of us, Labor Day means the unofficial end of summer, one last cookout, maybe a parade, and the realization that football season is finally back.

But Labor Day is about something much bigger for us as a nation, Toledo as a city and my family especially. 

The holiday was created to recognize the “social and economic achievements of American workers” and the contributions working people have made to the strength and prosperity of our country. The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City in 1882, and in 1894 Congress made the first Monday in September a national holiday.

And here in Toledo, Ohio, we have a special reason to remember the history behind the holiday and a larger than most celebration of it. Why?

Toledo Helped Write American Labor History

In the spring of 1934, Toledo became the site of one of the most important labor conflicts of the Great Depression: the Electric Auto-Lite Strike.

What began as a dispute involving workers at the Electric Auto-Lite Company grew into a major confrontation involving thousands of workers, supporters, law enforcement, and eventually the Ohio National Guard. The conflict became one of several pivotal strikes around the country in 1934 that helped change the relationship between American workers and employers and advance collective bargaining. The U.S. Department of Labor specifically identifies Toledo's Auto-Lite strike as one of the major labor upheavals of that historic year.

And Toledo's role didn't end there.  In 1935, workers struck the Toledo Chevrolet transmission plant. That dispute helped push General Motors toward negotiations and was described by a future UAW president as an enormously important step forward for automobile workers. The labor unrest of 1934 and 1935 also helped inspire the “Toledo Plan,”an innovative local system for peacefully resolving future labor disputes.

In other words, when we talk about the history of America's labor movement, Toledo deserves a place in the conversation.

And we take that seriously. Toledo’s Labor Day celebration is one of the largest in the Midwest.  We host a massive parade every year where the women & men of all local unions march to celebrate their jobs and what having a union has done for them.  

For me it is even more special because the Labor Movement transformed my family and gave me the place I have now.  

My paternal grandparents’ start was not one that leads to a bright future.  Grandma & Grandpa Young (we called him Papa) dated as high school ended.  And well, back in the 1940's well let’s just say a “shotgun wedding” was not ideal.  But that is what they had. My Aunt was the first born only months after the wedding.  

Ever hear the term Irish Twins?  Well my father was born about a year after my aunt.  So two kids who had barely finished high school were now the parents of two kids and with no training in rural Napoleon, Ohio, about an hour west of Toledo in Henry County good jobs were not plentiful.  At the time they were both picking processing crops most of which ended up in Campbell’s Soup. 

But then Grandpa got a job with the railroads, like his father, and was a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) which later merged into the Untied Transportation Union (UTU) and they moved to South Toledo Grandma at a time where mothers weren’t always working, got a job with Toledo Public Schools as a cafeteria worker represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).  And thanks to the good pay and training and benefits, they both worked their way up in their jobs and finances from there.  

And they raised four kids, a girl and three boys in a a two bedroom. One bath house in South Toledo (they turned the walk up attic into the boys room, And thanks to the good pay and good benefits they got, they sent 3 of the 4 off to college. The fourth was my Dad who was counting on Football to get him where he wanted to go, but unfortunately, he got hurt twice his senior year and couldn’t pass his scholarship physical for the University of Michigan.  

So Dad played instead for the Pensacola Naval Air Station Football team.  And thanks to the assistance of the US Navy and a great union job with the City of Akron represented by the same union as his mother AFSCME, he was able to go to college.  And one Uncle was a teacher and member of the Toledo Federation of Teachers.  And that Uncle and another married Teachers who were members of the Perrysburg Education Association (PEA) 

And the same was true on my Mom’s side with my Grandfather working his entire life a tool & die repairman, represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW), originally at the Champion Spark Plug Plant and later at, yep that Chevy Transmission Plant became General Motors Powertrain aka Propulsion.  My Uncle Bob, his son, followed in his footsteps and worked there as a UAW member as well.  My Grandmother started as a switchboard operator (yes they really used to plug and unplug cords to connect calls) with Communications Workers of America (CWA).  

By my generation all of us had a shot at college, with two trying it, finding a better life as a part of the building trades and they both also opened business along the way.  We also had teachers in the Gahanna Jefferson Education Association (GJEA) and Toledo Federation of Teachers (TFT).  So within two generations we went picking crops to owning businesses, being executives, working as dentists and teachers and lawyers who stand up for workers.

Why Labor Day Still Matters

The American workplace has changed tremendously since the 1930s. But the basic idea behind Labor Day hasn't.  Our country runs because people go to work.  They build our roads and buildings. They manufacture our cars and products. They teach our children. They care for our sick. They deliver our packages. They stock our stores. They keep our utilities running. They serve our food. And they perform thousands of other jobs that we rarely stop to think about.

At The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we've spent more than three decades representing Ohio's injured workers. That gives us a particular appreciation for something Labor Day reminds us of every year:

Behind every job is a person. And behind that person is often a family depending upon them to come home safely.

So this Labor Day, enjoy the cookout. Enjoy the long weekend. Enjoy the parade.

But take a moment to remember “why” we have the holiday—and the generations of working men and women, including many right here in Toledo, whose hard work helped build the communities, workplaces, and country we enjoy today.

To Ohio's working families, past and present:

Thank you for everything you do.

From all of us at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, have a safe and happy Labor Day!     

#LaborDay #LaborDay2026 #ToledoLaborHistory #ToledoOhio #OhioLabor #AmericanLaborMovement #WorkingFamilies #OhioWorkers #OhioWorkersComp #WorkersCompensation #UnionHistory #LaborHistory #WorkplaceSafety #NorthwestOhio #LawOfficesOfKurtMYoungustomizing

Usually, our posts at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC focus on Ohio workers’ compensation, workplace safety, or something happening in our community.

But National Pastor’s Spouse Day gives Kurt an opportunity to write about a role he knows personally.  He is one. 

Kurt is the husband of Rev. Cheri Holdridge , a United Methodist minister whose ministry has included service at Christ Church United Methodist Church in Findlay, Central United Methodist Church in Toledo, and The Village Church in Toledo, a congregation affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.

They were married this week and being married to a minister has taught him a few things. First, there really isn't such a thing as a completely predictable weekend.  Pastors are there for people during some of the most important moments of their lives. They celebrate baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and new beginnings. They also sit beside families in hospitals, walk with them through illness and loss, officiate funerals, counsel people through difficult times, and answer the phone when somebody needs help.

Much of that work happens when everyone else has gone home for the day.  And somewhere in the background is often a spouse and family learning that dinner plans can change, days off aren't always days off, and sometimes the answer to "What time will you be home?" is simply, "We'll see."

Of course, a pastor's spouse isn't an assistant pastor simply because of whom they married. They have their own careers, responsibilities, interests, and lives. In Kurt's case, his day job of representing Ohio's injured workers has kept him plenty busy for more than three decades.

But being married to Cheri has also given him a front-row seat to the dedication required of clergy and their families. Kurt has been what a 21st Century Pastor’s spouse has to be.  He helped found the tech teams at Christ Church, Central and the Village, using a shoestring budget to bring those churches into the 20th and 21st Centuries in Worship.

Kurt has been general counsel for all three of them, helping handle all manner of legal issues.  He has also served as a member of the Administrative Board or Leadership Team of all of them.  He has served as the Marketing Director of all of them.  He has served on the worship team of all of them.  He has had the privilege of working as a youth leader and a spiritual growth study group leader.  

And yes he’s had the fun of playing for their softball and volleyball teams, riding in their cycling group, and help run fantasy football leagues. 

And then there are the exciting opportunities to act like a goofy or serious supporter of the church and it’s members.  Kurt has had the chance to wear bunny ears on the floor of the United Church of Christ’s general synod, addressed the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church about the church’s ministries, run booths at community events, handing out candy at Toledo’s First Zombie Crawl, and as they were all welcoming and affirming churches march in the Toledo Pride Parade.   

Almost thirty years of being Cheri’s spouse has shown him how much work happens outside of Sunday morning, and how much pastors carry home with them because caring for people doesn't always fit neatly into office hours.

There are also plenty of wonderful moments: becoming part of different church families, watching people come together to help a neighbor, seeing communities respond when someone is struggling, standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves, and meeting some pretty remarkable people along the way.

Those experiences have something in common with the work we do at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC. When people are injured, frightened, or facing uncertainty, having someone willing to stand beside them matters.

So, on National Pastor’s Spouse Day Sunday, September 6th , we recognize all the husbands and wives who share in the unusual rhythms, unexpected interruptions, joys, challenges, and privileges that come with loving someone called to ministry.

Kurt can speak from experience:  It's not always an ordinary life, but it certainly isn't a boring one.

And to Cheri, thank you for your years of ministry, your commitment to the people and communities you've served, and for occasionally understanding when a workers' compensation hearing creates its own change of plans.

Happy National Pastor’s Spouse Day from The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC!

#NationalPastorsSpouseDay #PastorsSpouse #ClergyFamily #UnitedMethodist #UMC #CommunityService #FaithInOurCommunity #ToledoOhio #FindlayOhio #NorthwestOhio #OhioWorkers #OhioWorkersComp #WorkersCompensation #LawOfficesOfKurtMYoung

August 26 is National Dog Day, and while we usually use this space to talk about Ohio workers' compensation, workplace safety, and the rights of injured workers, today we're talking about another subject near and dear to our hearts:

Dogs. Lots of dogs.

National Dog Day celebrates dogs of every size, shape, breed, and background. It also calls attention to the many wonderful dogs waiting in shelters and rescue organizations for someone to give them a second chance and a forever home.

Including ones like our neighbors a block south of us at Lucas County Canine Control - https://lucascountydogs.com/  and another amazing one in Grover Hill, Ohio about an hour west of Toledo - https://www.facebook.com/p/JAR-Justice-Animal-Rescue-100068849960103/

That part of National Dog Day has special meaning around The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, because every single dog in our extended office family for the last 22 years is a rescue.

Meet the crew:

🐶 Chico — Pitbull Mix

🐶 Molly — Cocker Mix

🐶 Abbey — Lab Mix

🐶 Ellie — Staffordshire Mix

🐶 Lucy — Pug Tzu

🐶 Shadow — Cocker Mix

🐶 Maisie — Chihuahua Mix

🐶 Ruby — Cavalier King Charles

That's eight rescue dogs.

In fact, we have more dogs than employees at our office.

We're not entirely certain what that says about us, but we're pretty sure the dogs consider themselves upper management.

And although none of them has passed the Ohio Bar Exam, their individual qualifications are impressive. They specialize in food acquisition, unauthorized naps, neighborhood surveillance, squirrel litigation, welcoming committees, and determining precisely when someone has opened the refrigerator from three rooms away.

And Ellie is maybe the most impressive.  She was adopted by Kurt’s daughter Rebecca as the pandemic hit.  Ellie was certified as an emotional support animal (ESA) and lived with Rebecca who was working as a Residence Assistant (RA) at the Ohio State University Ellie was so beloved by the dorm’s residents and staff during the pandemic she was made an honorary member of their staff and when Becca earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Public Affairs, Ellie was handed unofficial ones in Puplickal Science and Puplick Affairs.

No matter how long or short they were with us, each of them is a reminder of why animal rescue matters.

Every year, shelters and rescue organizations care for dogs that have been lost, abandoned, surrendered, or simply need another chance. Adopting a rescue doesn't just bring a dog into your home, it gives that animal the opportunity to become part of a family.

Our eight certainly have.

Dogs also remind us about some pretty important things: loyalty, companionship, forgiveness, enjoying the little things, and always being happy to see the people you love.

So, on National Dog Day, we're celebrating Chico, Molly, Abbey, Ellie, Lucy, Shadow, Maisie, and Ruby—eight rescues who found their forever homes and became part of our extended office family.

And if you're thinking about adding a dog to yours, consider visiting a local shelter or rescue organization including the two above. There may be a future best friend waiting there for you.

From all the humans—and the considerably more numerous dogs—at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC:

🐾 Happy National Dog Day! 🐾

Rescue. Adopt. Love. Repeat.



#NationalDogDay #RescueDogs #AdoptDontShop #RescueDog #DogsOfTheOffice #OfficeDogs #DogLovers #OhioDogs #AnimalRescue #SupportAnimalRescue #OhioWorkers #OhioWorkersComp #WorkersCompensation #Community #LawOfficesOfKurtMYoungo start customizing

Every year on August 11, we celebrate National Presidential Joke Day, a day recognizing the lighter side of the men (and someday, perhaps women) who have served as President of the United States.

One thing that has united presidents throughout American history regardless of political party is the ability to laugh, especially at themselves.

Why August 11th you ask.  Well on August 11, 1984 President Ronald Reagan was getting ready to do his weekly Saturday evening radio broadcast.  During a routine microphone soundcheck, he jokingly announced: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

Thankfully tensions went away and Reagan and his Soviet counterpart were able to laugh about it.  So it was decided that this was a good a day as any to remember our Presidents have had a good sense of humor about themselves, even ones that were relatively uptight personally.  

Richard Nixon went on the comed/variety show Laugh In and did their catchphrase at the time that celebrities would come on to say, “sock it to me?”

Gerald Ford was mercilessly mocked for his clumsiness, despite playing football for a certain Big Ten school. 

I will never forget watching a show about Presidential Humor at his Presidential Library that he hosted.  They had some great one liner jokes from famous comedians like Bob Hope - “My favorite Gold Foreseome is, President Ford, a paramedic and a faith healer” to having Chevy Chase who handle the Saturday Night Live skits of him come out as him to welcome people.  

Jimmy Carter, on the David Letterman show years after office told a great story about giving a talk to a group who spoke Japanese and he got great laughs for his joke.  He found out later that the interpreter told the crowd  "President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh." 

Ronald Reagan, besides his gaffe with the mic check loved to make sure of himself, one of my favorites "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency—even if I'm in a Cabinet meeting."

George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush both had comedian impersonators of them host events for their teams.  

Bill Clinton, for his last White House Correspondents Dinner, was part of a video tribute to one of the retiring correspondents making fun of him now being a lame duck and her running into him in the press room and saying “what, you’re still here?”

Barack Obama, having seen Key & Peeles skits about him needing an anger translator, Obama speaking calm and rational, but his anger translator Luther would say what he really thought about those trying to get a rise out of him, had Jordan Peele come and be Luther for him at the dinner.  

Joe Biden as Vice President did a cameo on Parks and Recreation and also during his last White House Corespondents Dinner he joked that  "Of course, the New York Times issued a statement calling my speech 'a nostalgic look back at the Garfield administration.'"

And while Kurt has never serve in that high an office, in 2017 he was serving on Toledo Council and was invited to a candidate talent show and joked about his recent showing in a primary and then said “Someone asked me what made me think that a geeky, balding, overweight guy had a future in Toledo Politics. I told that that was easy, one word Wade (Mayor of Toledo)

Those in positions of power and service should have a sense of humor about themselves and the job.

Here at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC, we know there are times when life gets serious. Workplace injuries, medical treatment, hearings, and legal paperwork can all create stress for injured workers and their families.

That's why we also appreciate opportunities like today to smile a little.

In fact Kurt loves to collect lawyer jokes, for instance his spin on a classic: 

What is the difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer? A good lawyer knows the law, a great lawyer knows the judge, the best lawyer knows what the judge thinks the law is.

We deal with clients in some of the darkest, worst times of their lives.  So we take all we do seriously, but there are times that a smile is the best way to get through the day.

Happy National Presidential Joke Day from all of us at The Law Offices of Kurt M. Young, LLC!

#NationalPresidentialJokeDay #PresidentialHumor #History #OhioWorkersComp #WorkersCompensation #OhioLaw #LawyerHumor #LegalHumor #OhioWorkers #Community #Smile #HaveALaugh #LawOfficesOfKurtMYoung