According to The Wichita Eagle, Mar. 11, 2006:
“Some workers injured on the job could collect significantly less money under a bill passed by a House committee Friday.
The proposal would cut workers' settlements based on the percentage of their injury that a doctor believes resulted from a pre-existing condition.
Labor leaders say that means in some cases injured workers' compensation would be reduced based on problems they didn't know they had.
Kansas already allows employers to reduce compensation settlements for previous health problems, but only if they can provide proof of that with the worker's prior medical records.”
Don’t expect much money if your injured on the job.Also:
“Bill 461 passed the Senate in a 28-12 vote two weeks ago and was approved by the House Commerce and Labor committee in a mostly partisan 10-7 vote Friday.
It will now head to the House floor where it will likely face a fierce debate. With few exceptions, the bill has highlighted the divide between Democrats and Republicans…”
“Democrats have sided with labor, firefighter and trial lawyer groups who say the bill will allow employers to hold undiagnosed injuries and health problems against workers in compensation cases.
Jeff Cooper, who represents the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association and teaches about workers' compensation at Washburn University School of Law, said the proposed changes will lead to a spike in lawsuits.
He said employers will hire physicians to find previous health problems and link them to workplace injuries.”
The local Kansas Democrats still play the role of an opposition party, but they are a small minority. They really can’t win. If this were a nation-wide vote, many Democrats would cross over and vote with the Republicans, leaving the common worker with no serious support. There may be fierce debate, but the fate of this bill is already known since the pro-business Republicans already have a clear majority in both houses.
“Jeff Cooper, who represents the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association and teaches about workers' compensation at Washburn University School of Law, said the proposed changes will lead to a spike in lawsuits.
He said employers will hire physicians to find previous health problems and link them to workplace injuries.”
“Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has not said whether she would veto the measure if it reaches her desk. But her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said that when similar measures have surfaced, Sebelius has said that Kansas has some of the lowest workers' compensation insurance premiums in the country.”
The Democrats need to vigorously oppose such measures. Some Democrats, nationally, continuously vote with the Republicans, leaving the common worker with no serious support. There may be fierce debate, but the fate of this bill is already known since the pro-business Republicans already have a clear majority in both houses. If this debate goes nation-wide, Republicans can depend on the support of some Democrats and they can probably count on President George “Spoiled-Rich-Frat-Brat” Bush.
According to PARADE, March 12, 2006:
“Despite a flourishing economy American workers are less confident about their financial security than they were two years ago. The U.S. has enjoyed four straight years of economic growth, but most families have lost ground: In 2005, more than 80% of American workers saw their inflation-adjusted wages fall for the second year in a row.While the economy has been growing since 2001, all the benefits of that growth have gone into corporate profits, says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, a Pennsylvania-based consultant firm: “Corporate profits’ share of the national income is at a 60-year high—and that has come directly out of wages and salaries, which are at a record low.” And wages of the top 10% of earners—people making more than $90,000 a year—have risen much faster than everyone else’s. The average worker’s pay stayed almost flat at $27,000 from 1990 to 2004, one study finds.”
So how much money do the rich need to take away from the rest of us before they feel their wealth is safe? How much is enough for them, or is there any point were they feel they have enough? The rest of us keep loosing money to them and there doesn’t seem to be any changes on the horizon anytime soon.
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