As I am sure you all know by now, the NFL owners along with other sports team owners are on a vicious campaign to prevent professional athletes from accessing workers’ compensation benefits in California. I previously listed the evils of this legislation in a prior blog.
AB 1309 was heard and approved in committee on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. There were a couple of meaningless amendments that do not change the intent and negative impact of the proposed legislation. The supporters of AB 1309 are trying to rush the bill to a floor vote as quickly as possible and such a vote could take place any minute. The team owners and supporters of the bill want AB 1309 voted on before enough people see through their scam.
It is important that the good people of this state make their feelings known to their Assembly Members and ask that they vote against AB 1309.
All working people must take action since I believe that this is just the beginning of an assault on workers’ compensation benefits. First they pick on a select group of workers by singling out professional athletes, if they succeed, another group will then become their target. Who will be next? Truckers? Airline workers? Farm Laborers? Or traveling sales people?
Eventually the entire concept of cumulative trauma will be under significant attack from employers and their insurance carriers.
Don’t be fooled by owners’ and corporate greed. All working people deserve the right to be heard, to present evidence and have a chance to prove their cases in front of a judge who will then decide on the merits of their case. This is known as due process. The entitlement of benefits to these injured workers should not be dictated by a handful of billionaire NFL team owners sitting in a luxury box, in stadiums often built by taxpayer money and arrogantly trying to dictate California law and public policy. Team owners are out of state entities who come to California, make lots of money and leave nothing behind. Players, on the other hand, pay California income tax on all wages earned while in California. Why are these employees not entitled to their day in court???
HELP STOP AB 1309
Contact your Assembly Member immediately and voice your opposition to this ridiculous bill. You can get the name and contact information for your Assembly Member at:
http://legislature.ca.gov/legislatorsanddistricts/districts/assemblydistricts.html
Please continue to visit our website for periodic updates on this bill and other important issues.
