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Fairness For Asbestos Victims Update!- Senate Majority Leader Frist (R-TN) has reportedly proposed a $136 billion no-fault trust in hopes of moving his legislation.  The AFL-CIO has estimated that it will take a minimum of $149 billion to adequately compensate victims. Your support is still needed to help thousands of IBEW members who have been impaired working with and around asbestos. Please write your Senators and urge them to oppose S. 2290, the "Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2003." Sample Letter for Campaign Subject: Be Fair to Asbestos Victims Now! Dear [ Decision Maker ] , Please oppose S. 2290, the "Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2004." Discussions between the AFL-CIO, employers and insurers are continuing to make progress on establishing a national asbestos trust fund to provide fair and timely compensation to asbestos victims. Despite those efforts, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has introduced a new bill (S.2290) that would short-circuit those negotiations. S2290: - Creates a new asbestos trust fund that contains inadequate award values for victims and does not resolve fund solvency issues; - Pre-empts asbestos-related compensation for railroad workers covered by Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA); - Fails to address the separate treatment of pending claims and settlements; - Includes language that subrogates the victim's ability to collect other forms of compensation, such as worker's compensation; and - Lacks a sufficient medical screening provision for high risk workers. With court costs and lawyers' fees taking a good portion of current asbestos awards, the establishment of a national asbestos trust and an administration for claims is needed. Any new trust must provide victims of asbestos disease with fair, certain and timely compensation based on sound medical criteria. Everyone agrees there must be a solution to the asbestos crisis in this country. However, the interests of companies and insurers cannot be placed ahead of the hundreds of thousands of workers who have suffered. These victims have sacrificed enough and deserve to be treated fairly. Unfortunately, S. 2290 does not meet this standard. Please do not support this bill. Sincerely,

Campaign Launched: April 27, 2004

Background Information

 

Discussions between the AFL-CIO, employers and insurers are continuing to make progress on establishing a national asbestos trust fund to provide fair and timely compensation to asbestos victims. Despite those efforts, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has introduced a new bill (S.2290) that would short-circuit those negotiations. S2290:

• Creates a new trust fund that contains inadequate award values for victims and does not resolve fund solvency issues;
• Pre-empts asbestos-related compensation for railroad workers covered by Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA);
• Fails to address the separate treatment of pending claims and settlements;
• Includes language that subrogates the victim's ability to collect other forms of compensation, such as worker's compensation; and
• Lacks a sufficient medical screening provision for high risk workers.

Court costs and lawyers’ fees take a good portion of current asbestos awards. There must be a solution to the asbestos crisis in this country. However, we cannot allow Congress to put the interests of companies and insurers ahead of the hundreds of thousands of workers who have suffered. These victims have sacrificed enough and deserve to be treated fairly.