FYI.
-----Original Message-----
From: Geri L. Royer [mailto:groyer@cmta.net]
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 5:57 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Action Needed for Veto on Workers' Comp Bill (SB 71)
Importance: High


To:         CMTA Members

From:     Jack M. Stewart

Date:      September 7, 2001

Re:        Action Needed for Veto on Workers' Comp Bill (SB 71)

The Senate concurred in the Assembly amendments to the workers'
compensation benefits bill on September 6 .  The bill is now on
its way to the Governor.  The bill, SB 71 (Burton), would cost employers

$3.6 billion over 5 years with no substantive changes to
help offset the increased cost.  The quick passage of the bill by the
Senate ends any speculation that Senator Burton may be in a
negotiating mood.

There was some hope that some negotiation would ensue after the Governor

entered the fray on Thursday, August 30 by revealing a
$1.5 billion proposal that was significantly less expensive and onerous
to employers.  However, the proposal caused Senator Burton
and his co-author, Assemblyman Calderon, to call a hasty press
conference where the governor's proposal was characterized as a
slap in the face to labor.  Senator Burton predicted that a veto of SB
71 would spark a ballot initiative (that could double employers'
costs).  He also thought the veto would be an invitation for injured
workers to vote for former Los Angeles Mayor Dick Riordan or
someone else.

Steve Smith, Director, Department of Industrial Relations and the
governor's point person on workers' compensation said, "the
governor's plan became public only after it was presented to a group of
labor leaders and it was intended to stimulate discussion
about how best to get a workers' compensation bill that the governor is
comfortable with."  Smith dismissed the threat of labor
turning to someone else in the next election because the governor has
stood with working Californians on issue after issue and he
would be shocked if they were considering endorsing someone else.

Now that the bill is on the Governor's desk, it is imperative that
employers write the Governor requesting a veto.  For information on
SB 71 go to the CMTA web site at http://www.cmta.net/issues/index.


The address for the Governor's Office is:

The Honorable Gray Davis
Governor of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA  95814

Phone: 916.445.2841
Fax: 916.445.4633

governor@governor.ca.gov