info@iwnn.org INJURED WORKERS NATIONAL NETWORK - IWNN Supporting: √ Mandated Occupational Safety & Health √ 100% Medical Care √ Legal & Judicial Justice √ Right to Return To Work √ Complete Compensation √ Freedom of Speech √ Vocational
Rehabilitation
Opposing: Advocates for Injured／Ill Workers & Families Human, Social & Economic Rights
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√ Retaliation Against Injured／Ill Workers & Their Families Cost Shifting of Liability by Workers Compensation Insurance Companies to Federal／State Programs -- Social Security／Medicare／Medicaid -- without investigations／Prosecution
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June 27, 2014
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Jerry Brown, State of California Governor State Capitol, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 Subject: Position on Issues / Resolution: Defend Cal/OSHA-Full Staffing For Health And Safety Protection ! ! ! ! ! ! Of California Workers Dear Governor Brown,! It has come to our attention the California agency, Cal/OSHA, has been, and still continues to be irresponsibly inadequate in the following areas: California has only one hundred seventy (170) Cal/OSHA inspectors for 18.6 million (18,600,000.00) workers, this level is below other states including Oregon and !Washington There has been:! • Systematic and continuing understaffing. • Failure to meet federal inspection benchmarks. • Failure to investigate accidents promptly • Failure to inspect California’s most dangerous workplaces. The funding for Cal/OSHA is supported by workers compensation premiums and the Federal government, yet these inspectors have been furloughed due to past budget cuts and California has fallen behind other states who have more health and safety inspectors The state of California Department of Fish & Game has two hundred fifty-three (253) inspectors, which is more than the one hundred seventy (170) inspectors for all of California's workplaces. California workers and communities have faced continued fires at refineries and chemical plants, as well as a growing number of serious injuries and deaths on construction sites in California We cannot afford a voluntary compliance program, with employers and corporations, that only face minor fines for serious injuries and deaths New technologies; such as biotechnology and nano-technology require proper professional medical staffing, and yet Cal/OSHA has only two (2) Cal/OSHA medical doctors for California's 18.5 million (18,500,000), while in 1977 there were five (5) medical doctors on the staff of Cal/OSHA. California workers, who become health and safety whistleblowers, are intimidated and retaliated against for making health and safety complaints to their employer and / or to Cal/OSHA. When a safety and / or health complaint is directed to Cal/OSHA solely, which is legally mandated; the offending employer is not to be given the employee name. It is, and has been, a standard practice of Cal/OSHA to call the employer instead of immediately conducting an on site inspection to check the validity of the complaint. There has not been an employer or management criminally prosecuted for firing and retaliating against Cal/OSHA whistleblowers whose concern and efforts is to protect the health and safety of their worksite and community. Injured Workers National Network ~ PO Box 720027 - San Francisco, CA 94172 ~ (415) 282-1908 IWNN does not provide legal services, legal advice or medical assistance http://www.iwnn.org/
Position on Issues / Resolution: Defend Cal/OSHA-Full Staffing For Health And Safety Protection Of California Workers, continued
California workers, unions and non-unions have a right to be able to speak up about health and safety problems without fear of being bullied and retaliated against The Cal/OSHA Division has fired it's past director Dr. Ellen Widess, who was seeking to enforce Cal/OSHA standards against California refineries. California has had an epidemic of cancer and other diseases; many directly related in industrial causes to exposure to toxins in the workplace There needs to be a health and safety movement of working people to protect our workplaces and make sure that California's health and safety laws are enforced to the full extent of the law. Therefore, be it resolved, this body calls for an immediate increase of Cal/OSHA inspectors to meet the levels of coverage of Oregon and Washington workers!and to end the voluntary compliance program in the Cal/OSHA Division, Because of the high number of employees in the state of California; there should a minimum of ten (10) doctors for the Cal/OSHA Division, especially with the emergence of new technologies. Compliance Officers and Industrial Hygienist don’t know how to read a medical chart, they don’t know how to look for an illness caused by an occupational exposure to toxic chemicals and biological human health hazards. This body calls for the following legislation; 1. For felony!criminal prosecution of the employers that fire workers for making serious health and safety complaints, 2. For legally mandated worker union health and safety committees, having the legal right to shutdown dangerous jobs and processes. 3. For a statewide health and safety conference of workers from all unions; to!build an education campaign in labor and the public to protect the working people and communities in California. Finally this Position on Issues / Resolution: to defend Cal/OSHA-Full Staffing For Health And Safety Protection Of California Workers will be submitted to all affiliate bodies and sent to the 2014 Convention of the California AFLCIO for concurrence and all legislators in our area. "
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Signed this 27th day of June, 2014 Injured Workers National Network - IWNN
cc: •ATTN: Christine Baker, Director California Department of Industrial Relations 1515 Clay Street, 17th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 •ATTN: Eric Holder, United States Attorney ! ! General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 • • • •
ATTN: ATTN: ATTN: ATTN:
Angie Wei Chair, Legislative Director Doug Bloch, Political Director Christine Bouma, President Shelley Kessler, Executive Secretary Treasurer State of California Department of Industrial Relations; Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation 1515 Clay St., 17th Floor Oakland CA 94612
ATTN: Barbara D. Bovbjerg, Managing Director ! National Labor Relations Board United States Government Accountability Office 441 G St., NW Washington, DC 20548 •ATTN: Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of Labor United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20201 • ATTN: Juliann Sum, Acting Chief California Division of Occupational Safety and " Health 1515 Clay Street Suite 1901 Oakland, CA 94612 • ATTN: United States President, Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500
Injured Workers National Network ~ PO Box 720027 - San Francisco, CA 94172 ~ (415) 282-1908 IWNN does not provide legal services, legal advice or medical assistance http://www.iwnn.org/ 2