THE CONNECTICUT BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION DISTORTS THE TRUTH

THE CONNECTICUT BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION DISTORTS THE TRUTH

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association (“CBIA”) is a propaganda spewing mouth piece for the major corporate interests in this state. It does offer some services to all businesses but make no mistake about it; its primary purpose is to serve the economic interests of major corporations. Simply look at its Board of Directors and its insular policy of restricting access to its inner workings to its major players. CBIA in turn exercise major control over local Chambers of Commerce which in turn is fundamentally controlled by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The latter organization is a full-time propaganda machine for major industry – the same companies where the CEO makes four hundred times the earning of the average worker.
The CBIA and the Chambers of Commerce have a single minded dedication to preventing any reform that will improve the lives of workers or people who have been injured. In the case of the CBIA, there has been uniform opposition to any reforms that will ensure that injured workers receive fair treatment and adequate compensation for injuries that are life altering in many cases and in other cases, the injuries severely erode the earning capacity of the injured worker. CBIA argues that it will increase the cost to employers as though that should be the litmus test for public policy. We believe that it is more important to examine the global effect that workers’ compensation legislation ca have. CBIA never mentions the economic impact that an injury has on a family but only the minimal cost to employers. Connecticut cannot be a better place to live if the workers’ compensation law results in increases in home foreclosures, more bankruptcies, college educations that become unaffordable, poorer diets, worse health care, greater stress and the physiological consequences of less income.
Each week CBIA send out the “CBIA Government Affairs Report” and each week it is packed with lies and distortion. It uses propaganda urging its members to get involved in the legislative process and makes distorted claims that it does not support with evidence, facts, empirical studies or peer reviewed research. Today, as a member of CBIA (it does offer a competitive health insurance plan) I accepted an invitation to contact its employee involved with workers’ compensation. I posed questions today as I have posed questions in the past. I have never received an informed response from the CBIA. Here is today’s email:

I received the following email alert today as a member of the CBIA:

Labor Committee looking to increase workers’ comp costs
(Jan. 26, 2007) Numerous proposals to erode Connecticut’s workers’ comp reforms, increase system costs or add administrative burdens will be the subject of a public hearing by the Labor Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. in the state Legislative Office Building.
Some of the bills being considered include:• Eliminating the two-year statute of limitations on the filing of claims for scarring benefits• Increasing penalties on employers for delays in workers’ comp payments• Eliminating the permanency cap on discretionary benefits• Requiring employers to notify employees of potential workers’ comp benefits immediately upon injury• Requiring employers to help employees file claims for workers comp
If enacted, several of these measures — such as the expanded scarring and discretionary benefits bills — will drastically increase business costs.
As a member of CBIA, would you kindly provide to me the following information:
1. The actuarial data that demonstrates the cost to each class of employer should these measures be adopted including measures that would expand scarring and discretionary awards under 31-308(a)
2. Any analysis that justifies or excuses the routine delay in the payment of workers' compensation benefits.
3. The harm that would be occasioned to employers who were required to advise their employees of their potential entitlement to workers' compensation benefits following injury...
4. The harm that would be occasioned to employers which were required to help their injured employees complete the paperwork necessary to file a workers' compensation claim.
Thank you for your anticipated response.

Stewart M. Casper
Casper & de Toledo LLC
1458 Bedford St.
Stamford, CT 06905
Tel. (203) 325-8600
Fax (203) 323-5970
Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
http://www.casperdetoledo.com