From: "California Labor Federation" actionmanager@calaborfed.org
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 23:25:50 GMT
Subject: Sacramento Scorecard April 2, 2004

April 23, 2004

Workers' Compensation Committee Negotiates a Deal

THE LEGISLATURE HAS OVERWHELMINGLY passed compromise legislation to reform
our broken workers' compensation system. The Federation took a NEUTRAL
position on this legislation. The bill, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger,
was indeed a compromise that included both benefits and take-aways for
injured workers. But its passage does keep a draconian, multi-million dollar
funded anti-worker initiative off the November ballot.

Organized Labor worked hard to maintain a worker's right to choose his or
her own doctor. Union members will be able to name their current doctor as
their treating doctor should they suffer an injury on the job.  Our members
must pre-designate their doctors immediately by completing a form and
returning it to their employers. A sample pre-designation form and other
materials on workers' comp can be found at
www.calaborfed.org/issues_politics
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/t118sc61j7-b/ .

Insurance companies are the big winners in this deal. Not only did companies
and their brokers escape any form of regulation, but they also exacted
specific benefits in this legislation.

Last year, Labor worked to contain medical costs. Those reforms produced
great savings to the system. But the savings weren't passed on to the
employers by  insurance companies. The legislature and the Governor should
have learned their lesson. Without insurance re-regulation, savings to
employers from this year's bill are just as unlikely to materialize as last
year. We must sustain our efforts to re-regulate workers' compensation
insurance companies or this crisis will never be solved.

For more information on the Workers Compensation legislation go to:
www.calaborfed.org/issues_politics
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/t118sc61j7-b/ .