* Stop Terrorizing Injured Workers!
* Get the Insurance Companies Out of the Healthcare Industry!
* Single Payer Healthcare for All!
Every worker is under threat of seeing their health and safety going down the drain. The deregulation of Workers Compensation by the governor and legislature under Senate Bill 899 has allowed the insurance companies to refuse to pay for medical care and compensation for tens of thousands of injured workers. At the same time their profits have grown by billions of dollars. These insurance companies are only receiving a slap on the hand for not caring for workers they have admitted have been injured on the job. They now stall treatment and care while injured workers injuries worsen. Additionally, temporary disability has been limited to two years, retraining has be virtually eliminated and permanent disability now excludes pain and suffering.
Most workers are now required to go to company doctors who send people back to work whether they are healthy or not. These doctors are refusing to treat workers since they are really working for the insurance companies. Some injured workers have committed suicide because they were not able to get pain medication for serious injuries on the job. This has destroyed families, caused the loss of homes and left many injured workers homeless. At the same time permanent disability benefits have also been cut by 50%. How are injured workers supposed to survive? Only recently, the Governor and his acting Commissioner of Cal-Osha have eliminated the last two remaining doctor position. This is another attack on the health and safety of California workers.
The deregulation in Bill 899 has also led to workers being fired who file workers compensation claims. Some employers are illegally firing workers claiming that they cannot do the job even if they have had a temporary injury.
The crisis of the workers compensation system is now combined with the growing problems of protecting health insurance for unionized workers. Many retired or injured workers are forced to go to public hospitals because they cannot afford Cobra or other private plans. Workers injured on the job end up going on State disability or SSI where the tax payer is again stuck with the cost. This "cost shifting" and "Wal-Martization" by the insurance companies and employers is forcing the taxpayer to pay the costs of healthcare on a shrinking and privatized public care system.
The onerous and uncontrolled costs of health insurance now means that union negotiators are being told that all new money must go into healthcare instead of wages and pensions.
This is another reason why on Workers Memorial Day in Sacramento on April 28, 2006 at 11:00 AM on the west steps of the capitol, workers and trade unionists will rally to commemorate workers injured and killed on the job and to demand a single payer healthcare system for all. This would allow California workers to go to any doctor or hospital they want. It would eliminate the control of the insurance companies of our healthcare industry and end the practice of increasing their profits by withholding needed medical care.
Bring your family and fellow workers on the job.
We need to make our voices heard on Workers Memorial Day
Endorsed by SEIU Local 535, IUOE Local 39 San Francisco District, NALC 214, SEIU 415, AMFA Local 6, CWA 9410, KPFA Labor Collective, and others.
Endorsers of this rally and donations for busses and literature should be mailed to:
California Coalition For Workers Memorial Day
P.O. Box 720027
San Francisco, CA 94172
www.workersmemorialday.org
lvpsf@labornet.org
For more information and a copy of the resolution to support
this rally please call (415) 867-0628, www.workersmemorialday.com
P.O. Box 720027, SF 94172
California Injured Workers Coalition (415) 738-2184
www.injuredworkerscoalition.com
North Bay Area - (707) 795-0783, fightN4yourlife@aol.com
Sacramento Area - Dina Padilla (916) 725-2673 blndi26@cs.com
Los Angeles Area - Christine Pietz (818) 846-1632 Cpietz@sbcglobal.net
East Bay - Stephen Kessler 510-978-7435 skesslermcp@yahoo.com
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Confirmed Speakers as of 3/27/06
Barbara Clark, an injured nurse practitioner fired by 7th Adventist Church in Bakersfield
Dina Padilla, an injured Kaiser worker & president of VOICES-B.E.S.T. Advocate for Injured workers.
Mary Vivenzi, partner of Kevin Noah a UBC Local 35 carpenter killed on the job
Larry Nign. an injured worker and the founder of www.MyStateFraudStory.com
Cathon Adams, injured worker from University of California at Davis
Lloyd Kennedy, injured worker from CA Department of Corrections
Anita Blick, injured Atherton IBT city worker jailed in a workers' comp frame-up
Jamie Tracy wife of Michael Tracy, an IBT315 injured worker who was refused medication and committed suicide.
Eric Drew, HIPPA & Calpers
David Hurlburt, CWA 9410 Health and Safety Committee
Sam Gold, Sheetmetal Workers Local 104, California Injured Workers Coalition
Will Goodo, a disabled Richmond Comcast worker who was fired after speaking out about working conditions and in favor of the unionization of Comcast workers in Richmond, CA
Rebecca Gettleman, fired UTU1730 injured Amtrack worker