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'I'm blackballed'

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By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER
Star-Tribune staff writer

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 10:17 AM MDT

For some people, there's not much life outside of work. These folks are tailor-fit to their jobs, and time away from work is time outside of themselves.

That's exactly how Eric Yates of Casper felt during the six months he was off work healing from a rotator cuff injury.

"I was sitting in my trailer watching TV, getting bored and losing money," Yates said. "I told my doctor I couldn't wait. I went back to work two weeks early."

Yates, 38, is built like a sack of cement. His bald and tattooed head is menacing, but his aggression has always been dutifully applied to his biggest passion -- oil field work. Just as a spider monkey is perfectly suited to its Brazilian rainforest, so was Yates in the rig's maw of crashing metal and hydraulics.

"Work is my passion," he said. "Work is my life. I'm not a social person."

In 2005, Yates went back to work on a rig outside Shoshoni. Then one day a set of elevators came crashing down on his right foot with 280,000 tons, splitting his toes in opposite directions.

Yates' shoulder surgery hadn't turned out well. With the addition of his foot injury, he was too battered to return to laborious work. The combination of his injuries means returning to physical labor is next to impossible.

Now, for the first time in his life, Yates is no longer able to take care of himself. Gritting through chronic pain, the loss of physical stamina and the loss of his livelihood, Yates sometimes falls apart.

He has attempted suicide more than once. Twice he has ended up at the Wyoming Behavioral Institute.

Wyoming's workers' compensation program gave Yates a modest 11 percent permanent partial impairment rating, and gave him a $9,000 settlement to end the case. He might win a permanent total disability benefit of $10,000.

Yates said that's a pittance compared with what he would have earned in an oil field career. If he had continued working in the oil field at $28 per hour, 40 hours per week, until he retired, he could have earned $1.68 million.

Workers' compensation offers vocational training, or retraining for workers who are unable to return to the highly physical jobs they once had. But Yates, with a fifth-grade education, doesn't see much use in it.

Retraining this lifelong roughneck for an office setting is like finding a proper place for a rusty tire iron on a formal dining table. And if you ask him, the prospect of finding any non-manual-labor position in the oil field business is less than zero.

"I'm blackballed," he said. "Because of this workers' compensation case, I will never work for another oil field company or contractor again in my life."

Reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 577-6069 or dustin.bleizeffer@trib.com.

One worker's story:

Eric Yates

The personal stories of injured workers are a key element of this special report on workers' compensation. These stories are unavoidably one-sided, because Wyoming's Workers' Safety and Compensation Division is legally barred from discussing individual cases.

To provide a balanced discussion of the overall issue, the Star-Tribune has sought out additional perspectives from all sides, including employers, legislators and state officials.


Wyoming briefs		Amateurs get shot at managing basin dam

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There are 43 comment(s)

Comments to this story.

Right Wiing and Proud of It wrote on Mar 20, 2008 12:52 PM:

" Reason number ten why you don't want to tattoo your head all up like a dirt bag. You might some day smash up your bones in the oil patch and have to get job where people see you, and you will need to be presentable. Live and learn I guess. I'm supposed to pay for this guy's welfare because he thinks he's too butch for an office job? Give me a break. "

Rockwell wrote on Mar 20, 2008 5:13 PM:

" Got to kind of agree with Right Wing there. If the guy didn't want pain, he shouldn't have gotten himself hurt. If it's the company's fault (instead of his own), he should sue the company for more compensation. Why is this guy on the public dole (state disability). We didn't hurt him. "

CarbonFiber wrote on Mar 20, 2008 5:48 PM:

" "Yates' shoulder surgery hadn't turned out well...." and usually they are so good at shoulder surgery in Wamsutter. "

Snivel Snivel wrote on Mar 20, 2008 9:51 PM:

" If you can work a TV remote, you can work a computer or a cash register. Time to get off your laurels and quit expecting other people to take care of you. You got hurt. That's because you worked in the oil patch and dropped something on your foot. There's other work. Time to get over it and get a job. "

Dm wrote on Mar 21, 2008 5:07 AM:

" Another oil field worker bites the dust. Well when you took the job you knew it was a dangerous line of work. Then when you did get hurt you went back to work before the MD said it was ok to do so, now you are crying to everyone you can't support yourself. On top of that you went and painted your head so knowone will allow you to work for them. Pitty you, you poor thing! "

id wrote on Mar 21, 2008 9:22 AM:

" some speak before they think. in the reasoning of many if you know you might get hurt your fault if your appearnce is unpresentable your fault, that bodes ill for the soldier whos face is disfigured from an ied in the middle east. "

Milton wrote on Mar 21, 2008 9:36 AM:

" id, this guy is NO soldier. We have a system for disabled soldiers and it is called VA. To our disabled soldiers, we owe much. Whole different story from this dish network, welfare punk. "

Grow up, "id" wrote on Mar 21, 2008 9:45 AM:

" There is a BIG difference between someone who pays good money to have his head and neck tattooed and a soldier who was disfigured while fighting for freedom. I will continue to employ veterans, disabled or not, but I refuse to hire people who have willingly tattooed parts of their anatomy that show in a standard t-shirt, ESPECIALLY head and neck tattoos! Tattoos like that display a "scr*w you" attitude that I strive to keep out of my customer service department. Mr. Yates knowingly and willingly limited his employment options the day he tattooed his silly head. "

Personal Choices wrote on Mar 21, 2008 11:27 AM:

" Our society has standards and people all have their own values. Our collective values are what make up societies values, or standards. If your values clash with societies standards then you have made a life style decision which makes you less appealing, or marketable within that societies economy. Our lives offer all of us many choices, we each have to be wise enough, and exercise the foresight to make good decisions about these life choices. If you want to be a Nunn, huge breast implants and tattoos all over your body are a bad choice. A choice that you alone have to live with, it was after all, your personal choice and so are its consequences. You cannot always get what you want, when you want it and as you want it. He choose to "black ball" himself from many potential occupations and that is just how it goes. He could have choosen differently.
"

Ruth wrote on Mar 21, 2008 1:00 PM:

" He did himself in long before this episode. "

Dr. Jane wrote on Mar 21, 2008 1:06 PM:

" I have to ask, he chose to mutilate his body with "messages" for the rest of us to have to see, what does he think the message that we receive from this will be? The only message that I receive is that he is insecure in his own value and is screaming for attention, even if it is negative attention. I hear you loud and clear; "look at me, please look at me, I am special or so I wish you to believe me to be special." Superficial. Sad. A poor permanent message to wear for life isn't it?
"

flounder wrote on Mar 21, 2008 1:11 PM:

" This would be hilarious if it wasn't so creepy. The right wingers have told us it is patriotic to drill, drill, drill across the USA, but if someone hurts themselves doing this drilling they want the person to either die or move to Cuba, especially if they have tattoos!
Republican Jesus is a hateful Jesus, that is for sure. "

H2S wrote on Mar 21, 2008 1:52 PM:

" Flounder, this guy was well-compensated for his work. He should have put something away for foot smash-up day, or joined a union like a normal person. Now he's on public assistance and unwilling to get a non-oilfield job, because he thinks it sounds girly. Well most jobs are not oilfield jobs and he needs to just step up. "

GrayFox wrote on Mar 21, 2008 1:55 PM:

" Holy nuts, I agree with flounder, well kind of... As far as him living off the public dole, yeah, he needs to move on. He can definately find work if he wants to. Job training is availableand he needs to take it. Then, he can grow out his hair and wear a light weight turtle neck (in warmer weather) and press on with life. I know people who have done this modification for work purposes. No one can see any of my tatoos when I'm at work. It can be done if one chooses to. This is for you, flounder, hope you like it: I find it very disturbing that instead of thanking this guy for working his butt off to provide US with energy, many here decide to cast him aside because he has some ink. Hypocrites, all of you. "

Heartless wrote on Mar 21, 2008 2:37 PM:

" All of these right winged comments are absolutely disgusting. If something horrible happened to one of them they would be a bigger sniveling baby than ANY roughneck. How about some empathy and human decency. Also, people with tattoos don't look down on all of you stuck up republicans for being hateful conceited jerks. When someone is down and out why not be helpful instead of being hateful. It's disgusting and I hope that the nay sayers will suffer like this man so maybe they will shut up. "

Old School wrote on Mar 21, 2008 2:55 PM:

" Heartless, the point is this guy brought it on himself. We don't have to feel sorry for him. Energy field work is good money. It's not community service or military service. There is no civil "sacrifice" involved. He got a good paycheck for the work he did. That's his reward. If he didn't have the foresight to put some of that paycheck away for leaner times, then he's an idiot. I've worked in management for over forty years and I've seen this type leach off the public system forever. "

Lyle wrote on Mar 21, 2008 3:41 PM:

" I was raised to have respect for myself and for other people. You can't have self-respect if you burn tattoos into your scalp and watch Jerry Springer on TV all day in your trailer. There are some people who want to make something of themselves in this world and live respectably with good values. Then there are others who want to live in constant tail-spin mode. That sounds like what this sleeze ball is up to. That's his choice, but I'll be darned if I subsidize that by sending him a state disability check each month. "

Drudge wrote on Mar 21, 2008 4:03 PM:

" ......."Dude, look at my new neck tattoo. It says, 'Boss of the Prison Shower.' Ouch my foot! Someone get this drill bit out of my foot! "

Heartless wrote on Mar 21, 2008 4:18 PM:

" Hey Lyle, I have seven tattoos, I know three different languages and I have a job that pays well with benefits, I never watch jerry springer, I'm well educated, I've been to different countries, and I don't judge people by the way they look. I also don't live in a trailer and I have good values, my life is full of love and happiness. In fact most of the love and happiness comes from fellow tattooed compassionate people. "

Rightwing and Proud of It wrote on Mar 21, 2008 4:29 PM:

" Heartless, that was a moving speech. Not. There are two types of tattoos: Military tattoos and scumbag tattoos (no offense). Right now you are doing okay with scumbag tattoos it sounds like. But you are just a broken foot away from ending up a couch mushroom like your friend Yates here. There is something called employability that does matter. "

Lyle wrote on Mar 21, 2008 4:49 PM:

" You seem like a nice enough person, heartless, but there is importance in accepting responsibility for one's actions. Some people do not prepare for the future, many liberals included. They expect a free ride when their Speed Metal lifestyle goes south. I'm sick of all that. "

Heartless wrote on Mar 21, 2008 4:52 PM:

" I'm sorry, I thought that military and scumbag were basically synonymous "

Grow Up wrote on Mar 21, 2008 6:53 PM:

" Heartless says "I don't judge people", but in each and every hate-filled post he does just that. He judges Republicans and people serving in the military as "scumbags" and beneath him. He says "When someone is down and out why not be helpful instead of being hateful", but automatically assumes that all employers are Republicans walking all over hardworking Democrats. He knows all about being hateful, that's for sure. Heartless, reread your own posts and maybe you will realize just who's "hateful" here. "

To id?? wrote on Mar 21, 2008 7:44 PM:

" What the heck are you talking about here? Nowhere was an ied in the Middle East contributed to this jerks stupidity! There is a considerable amount of difference between soldiers fighting for our freedoms and this guy whining about his head being volunterly painted with tatoos! Doing something like that when you are young is a stupid thing and the taxpayers shouldn't be held accountable because he did a stupid thing. Even where I work tatoos are not ever to be seen if you have them, so like duh, don't do them on your head. Furthermore whats wrong with him wearing a wig of sorts? Oh ya forgot "He is a tough oil field worked cannot be seen with a wig so he can work and support himself" How frickin stupid is he? "

id wrote on Mar 21, 2008 9:59 PM:

" the comment made was disfigured was dm mar 21 comment did you read it dangerous work you knew it all that diatribe "

Upper Tier wrote on Mar 22, 2008 12:09 AM:

" I have been a Republican all my voting years, and people like this Yates guy are why. To me, he represents everything that is wrong with this country. Among the illegal aliens, homosexuals, "inured workers", "people of color", trailer crowd, etc., there exists this sense of entitlement. I see it every day. Driving past trailer parks and "modular homes" when I have to go down to Rock Springs, I see people who wave American flags like they are regular producing members of the market place. These people wouldn't know anything about the free market or capitalism if it bit them on the head. They never save a dime. Always posing to be something they are not. Low lives will always be low lives. "

id wrote on Mar 22, 2008 1:17 AM:

" grow up

i laud you in hiring vets so i ask you why is 1 in 4 homeless in this country vets. and your puritanical views on tatoos is appalling guess boiling people in oil and all the good christian acts over the last 2008 years is ok with you too.

perhaps you should try to get over it tatoos are here to stay at least for now and it does not mean one who has one is not a good worker.

your attitude that borders on discrimination is about par for the course in this so called equality state. so take your holier than thou attitude with you to communion at your local liquior store or your sunday building of hate probably both. while you are at it drag someone behind you truck and leave then dead or dying on a fence is that not the wyoming equality state way.

blame the injured for getting hurt all of you who espouse this attitude are sick without compassion except for an hour or so on sunday if you go when you put on your show for the church community and give to support your building fund.

by the way i am retired military i also have good friends who are good people who have tatoos (i dont have one personnal choice). one day they will own buisnesses and i hope they return the favor and not hire any one who has no tatoo let all of you special unmarked people starve and live in poverty. you will deserve it you bunch of bigoted hippocrits. "

GrayFox wrote on Mar 22, 2008 10:49 AM:

" Right Wing: Only two types of tattoos? Ok, let's evaluate my five, again, none of which can be seen in normal business clothing, in my case military uniform. On my upper right shoulder, a tribute to my Air Force career field. I have my two sons' names tattooed over my heart, and a Celtic Knot bat over their names (representing my wife). The final tat is on my lower leg and is a tribute to two friends killed in Iraq by a IED. So according to you, Rightie, the tats representing my family are scumbag tattoos. People get ink for many reasons. Many memorialize a loved one, or to signify a moment in their lives. Yes, there are some scumbags out there, who have scumbag tats. Most of them are in jail or have been there. Maybe if you would open your mind a bit, you'd realize most folks with ink are NOT scumbags. You'd be surprised how many people you come in contact with on a daily basis have tats you never see. How many in your church? I bet there's a few, probably more. And heartless, I hope your post about military and scumbags being synonymous was a stab at sarcasm. "

Rightwing and Proud of It wrote on Mar 22, 2008 3:21 PM:

" Grayfox, if you were in the military, then those are military tattoos. Whole different thing. As for all these biker types and prison types running around marking up their necks like Latino Americans, I say they get the uphill employment battle they deserve. "

starfire wrote on Mar 22, 2008 5:48 PM:

" Upper Tier i do believe you left a lot of other undesirables out of your tirade. if a racist pig such as your self is a life long republican then you just made my mind up how to vote. I will vote for any one other than a racist republican and i am retired millutary and proud of it.

what you said that is so offensive is about those who live in trailors and "people of color" i served with both in the military their blood was red and they died like the rest just so you could spout racist bs. your type make me sick and by the way does your church meet on sunday "

Geri R wrote on Mar 23, 2008 11:09 AM:

" If it wasn't for our quote, "scumbag/military", you wouldn't have the right or the privilege of running your neck...... "

mark wrote on Mar 23, 2008 12:19 PM:

" don't feel sorry for yerself, I had spent 6 yrs in the oilfield from workovers to drilling rigs. I separated my shoulder, and still worked for nine months untill igot it fixed then i rolled ny car and broke my neck, after nearly 14 months of rehab i am an apprentice electrician. It sucks not to make 27.50 hr or better but, i will go much farther as an electrician especially as the rid count is dwindling away for wyoming "

flounder wrote on Mar 23, 2008 2:04 PM:

" Upper Tier, you don't work for Bear Stearns by change do you? How did you like your handout you Wall Street Welfare "Queen"? P.S. The biggest welfare queen in Wyoming is Republican leader Barbara Cubin who doesn't work but makes $160,000 a year on the government dole. "

MTRoughneck wrote on Mar 23, 2008 5:11 PM:

" Let's see, elevators dropping on his foot, yeah, that was his fault for sure. Any of you people ever work on a drilling rig? Do you even know what the equipment reference does? By the sounds of these discussions, I would say not.

Go to work on a rig and lose some toes first before you start casting stones at this guy. Calling him a slackass because he got hurt in the course of the work asked of him is not only callous, it is ignorant and representative of shallow hearts and minds.

Join a union? On a drilling rig? I've heard ridiculous things said before, but that really is revealing just how little you know about the industry.

Eric Yates, don't give in to despair. There is hope and there are opportunities for you out there. "

Personal Responsibility wrote on Mar 23, 2008 9:19 PM:

" MTRoughneck, we don't really care how he hurt his foot, the guy is capable of other work and has been living on welfare, watching daytime television for six months instead. Shallow hearts and minds? People like you are part of the problem. Always expecting other people to have sympathy for your "depression" and "work-related injuries." No savings, no values, no dignity. I can't wait until the wells are done, all the gas is flowing, and you people can go back to your lives in the Oklahoma panhandle or what ever place you came from. "

Lostbetween wrote on Mar 23, 2008 11:47 PM:

" Since when is everyone so perfect that they can spew such vicious opinions on a news article? "There but for the grace of God, go I". Here was a man who loved his job and lost all ability to perform what he believed his calling to be. He lacks the education to easily switch to another profession, and is disabled and needing guidance to start fresh. I for one, would offer to help tutor him so he could take on the training he'd need for a new occupation. Tattoos are a personal form of expression, the days of condemning people for being different are supposed to be long gone. How many of you who posted those cruel remarks here are God-fearing, upstanding Christians? You should be ashamed at your self-righteousness. Take a look inside yourselves. "

BULL wrote on Apr 4, 2008 9:07 AM:

" From reading these posts on here it is plain to see what is wrong with a lot of selfish Wyoming idiots who have never got their hands dirty. Never ever bad mouth any man or woman who does YOUR DIRTY WORK , no matter what they look like, someday you may be in their shoes. You fools like gas & oil but badmouth the people who do the work. I did that work too, for 30 years , it isnt easy and it isnt fun. Especially just getting to work in a blizzard while you fools sleep in your warm beds. Gawd what a bunch of hypocrits. No wonder Wyoming is stuck in the dark ages. "

thor wrote on May 14, 2008 5:44 PM:

" Have you ever heard of no fault ? I got hurt working on a pulling job. Was suppose to go to safety school the week of my accident but was a man short so its money befor safety. I've got 7 titanium plates in my face and lost my short term memory. I'd much wish the accident happened but thats life and no fault means the worker sometimes gets the short end but who ever said life is fair? "

CLF wrote on Jan 30, 2009 7:07 PM:

" I didnt know there were such uncaring people in the world Right Wiing you havent ever worked hard have you I hope you get hurt and your kids loose there life style and no one will help you
Your an SOB "

sick of it wrote on Feb 2, 2009 3:40 PM:

" It's hard to feel sorry for someone who has two DUI's in one month. I'm sick of our tax dollars paying for his liquor. "

NPR wrote on Feb 18, 2009 10:16 AM:

" All of those who have nothing good to say need to just zip it..We are all human and we all have feelings so I hope..If you've never been injured than lucky you...you've been blessed..Injuries happen when you least expect it to..It's so easy to say get a desk job or cashier job, but it's not that easy...I went from doing physical labor all my life to help supportt my five children that I can proudly say I DID IT WELL..Now I sit behind a desk for a domestic violence program. that pays double what WC would pay..It's not that easy to sit, stand, get into a vehicle for me..but I do it..This man here has done work in the oilfields because that's his life..Don't be so harsh..My husbands been working in the fields for twenty plus years and everyday I pray that he doesnt get hurt or his crew..Be nice..it could be your loved one or you..By the way I have 2 tatoos..Don't judge people with tattos. With me being from the islands I have a very big heart..All of my brothers in Hawaii have tattoos and their all employed..They deal with the big wheels with their businesses so don't please don't judge anyone. .It's what's in your heart and your personality that will make you succeed.. Your hostility and ugliness won't get you anywhere in life.. "

NPR wrote on Feb 18, 2009 10:44 AM:

" Some of these comments just sicken me...it really does..I fell off a 2 1/2 foot ladder 7 feet backwards on a cement bay at an auto dealership over two years ago and still have severe pain where I can't hardly sit behind my desk or in courts let alone stand for a long period of time..I was just fortunate to be offered this state and tribal job that paid double my last job and what WC comp paid...Rigs are stacked out everywhere and families are hurting...Have you been layed off yet? or hours cut? how about your wages? I work with victims everyday who lost their jobs and can't find housing...If you're one of the fortunate ones who's life is going so well..Count your blessings because hard times are still coming with this economy..Injuries are no fun..I can vouch for that...I'm still dealing with it.If you were in this guys shoe and was expected to make less money at another job..Could you honestly do it? Look at yourself right now..What if your boss said your wages would decrease to 1/2 of what you make now...Is that acceptable? Think about it...could you say you'd continue there or would you look for a job that pays equivelent to what you make? Be honest now... "

NPR wrote on Feb 18, 2009 12:32 PM:

" These comments were posted almost a year ago...I'm very curious if all of those who had nothing pleasant to say, Have went to file for unemployment yet or welfare themselves...As I read these comments I read so much nonsense...Gosh it's easy to say that a person needs to save and put money away ...My husband and I have tried time and time again, but it's unfortunate that it doesnt stay saved when your last child is in and out of hospitals and you're doing everything in your power to get him the treatment and medication he needs..Yes, we have great paying jobs but our insurance doesn't pay everything..every year we are 2500.00 in debt for the deductible and it's harder than heck to pay the 30% insurance doesn't cover all year long.You should not be judging this man on not putting money away...We don't know his finances..They say count your blessings and not your problems..in all reality money makes the world go round and we all need it.. People say money is the root to all evil, but I believe it's how you use it. It's called survival.. Leave the guy alone..Just wish him the best.. "

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