Worker's Compensation
 

I know many here suffer from the inhumane treatment allowed in the WC system. Here is some additional info esp for those in Ca........Hope

www.viaw.org/rights_history.html?menu=rights OR
http://www.viaw.org/rights_history.html?menu=rights

"Early studies in Pennsylvania showed work to be the leading cause of death. Workers were allowed to sue their employers only if negligence could be proved.

Employers were concerned about their liability, not all of which was covered 100% by their liability insurance leaving them vulnerable to civil lawsuits and large payouts.

These problems eventually led to passage of the Boynton Act in 1913 that provided for an integrated system that required employers to have safety programs and provide for compensation for workers injured in the course of employment. This "no fault"system is often referred to as the "historic bargain"between employers and workers: Workers gave up the right to sue their employers in civil court for work injuries in exchange for an administrative system that provided prompt medical treatment and compensation.
Later on, the bargain was preserved in the California Constitution. Here's what it says:

"California Constitution, Article XIV, Section 4 VotersInjuredatWork.org is dedicated to preserving the rights and benefits that are guaranteed under the California Constitution, Article XIV, Section 4. .......................
SEC. 4. The Legislature is hereby expressly vested with plenary power, unlimited by any provision of this Constitution, to create, and enforce a complete system of workers' compensation, by appropriate legislation, and in that behalf

Quote:

to create and enforce a liability on the part of any or all persons to compensate any or all of their workers for injury or disability,

Then end result was the virtually unanimous approval of what is the worst workers' compensation bill in the 90 year history of workers' compensation in California. "

If you are interested, go to the site and read it all.

Update on the state of WC in California
 

They are laughing all the way to the bank....:mad:


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=business

If the link doesn’t work, go to: www.sfgate.com and click on Business. Scroll down to see the headlines which state: Workers’ Compensation savings are Cheered.


(not by me)

The lobbyists of large corporations and associations have your state reps ear and not you.They pay more state income taxes than the employees and citizens. You can't afford to provide the perks that your average lobbyist can hand out with ease. WC is atrocious in just about every state and getting worse. I live in Texas and new laws have affected the system so badly doctors are leaving the system in droves. Good doctors are almost impossible to find now and have been replaced with revolving door medicine. Even my first attorney left the WC system because of the new laws.My current attorney is not taking any new cases. If you drive a lawyer out of a government system it's pretty bad. Ever ask your state rep. why your taxes pay for a system that is adversarial enough that you need an attorney to represent you against your own government and why your government that represents you is not defending you from predatory insurance companies.At least in Texas it also provides a way out of proper safety proceedures in a lot of industries. Oh the safety laws are still there, but everyone just winks and looks the other way. Because you cannot sue a company that has workers comp, they are not worried. It's all about money.The insurance companies get away with harrassment that would be illegal by an individual. I've even had a private investigator mock me in public. To the insurance companies it just a game where they hold all the cards and make the rules. The myth of spurious claims ( less than 1% of all claims) is constantly blown out of proportion by the media with the jerk that jumps out of the wheel chair when he thinks no one is looking. Insurance companies are making windfall profits and will continue to do so until government is run by the voters and not the large businesses. It makes me terribly angry at the mass injustice of it all.

Very well said Nobel

Sad, but it is all true......Hope