Railroad worker injuries are covered under the Federal Employees Liability Act which requires that a railroad maintains their fleet, ensuring that their trains are in good working order and free of defects. If a railroad does not comply with these standards, they may be liable for injuries to their workers. Damages railroad workers may receive include medical treatments, present and future lost wages and mental trauma. An injury on the railway can range from a minor sprain to a spinal injury so severe that it leads to death. Some of the most common injuries that affect railway workers are head trauma, knee injuries, back injuries, neck injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, brain trauma or spinal cord injuries. The Federal Employees Liability Act protects railroad workers and others as diverse as clerical employees whose day-to-day functions do not directly involve trains or outdoor activity.
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 85,616 at the 2000 census. A 2003 Census estimate showed the population dipped to 79,029. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman orator. Originally, Cicero Township occupied six times its current territory. Weak political leadership and town services resulted in cities such as Oak Park and Berwyn voting to split off from Cicero, and other portions such as Austin were annexed into the city of Chicago . Al Capone built his criminal empire in Chicago before moving to Cicero to escape the reach of Chicago police. The 1980s and 1990s saw a heavy influx of Hispanic residents to Cicero. Once considered mainly a Czech or Bohemian town on 22nd Street, most of the European-style restaurants and shops have been replaced by Spanish-titled businesses. Cicero most recently is seeing a new influx of residents, mostly Polish. Cicero also has seen a revival in its commercial sector, with many brand-new mini-malls and large retail stores. New condominiums are also being built in Cicero, ranging in price from $150,000 to $300,000. Cicero has long had a reputation of government scandal. Most recently, Town President Betty Loren-Maltese was sent to federal prison for misappropriating funds . She was well-liked by retired, long-term Cicero residents, but was continually challenged by younger Hispanic opponents before her indictment. Cicero was taken up and abandoned several times as site for a civil rights march in the mid-1960s. The American Friends Service Committee, the Rev. Martin Luther King, and many affiliated organizations, including churches, were conducting marches against housing and school de facto segregation and inequality in Chicago and several suburbs, but the leaders feared too violent a response in Chicago Lawn and Cicero. Eventually, a substantial march (met by catcalls, flying bottles and bricks) was conducted in Chicago Lawn, but only a splinter group, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, marched in Cicero .