Wilson Uses Democrats’ Turf to Push Workers’ Comp Plan

Kicking off a week of campaign-style appearances in the districts of key Democratic incumbents, Gov. Pete Wilson on Friday used a San Fernando manufacturing plant as the backdrop for his push to overhaul the state workers’ compensation system.

Wilson’s trip, part of an aggressive campaign he has waged against the Democrats who control the Legislature, is meant to focus attention and public pressure on swing Democrats whose votes could help pass a plan to repair the program that compensates workers injured on the job.

Wilson, who vetoed Democratic-backed workers’ compensation legislation and called lawmakers into a special session for Thursday to address the issue, said the Democrats should vote to change the law--or voters should change their lawmakers.

But Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City), whose district was the first stop on Wilson’s statewide swing, said the governor is less interested in fixing the workers’ compensation system than in using the issue as a political weapon against Democrats.

Wilson told business owners gathered at Precision Dynamics--a company that makes plastic name tags worn by hospital patients--that his motives are not political. He made a similar pitch later in San Diego. Next week he plans to carry his message to Fresno, Silicon Valley and the Inland Empire.

“I’m not interested in using workers’ compensation as an issue for victory on Election Day,” Wilson said in San Fernando. “I’m interested in using the election as an issue to achieve victory on workers’ compensation.”

Wilson acted almost like a television talk show host during the hourlong forum, holding a microphone as he fielded questions and comments from audience members, many of them strong supporters.

One business owner said she had to shut down her company after 11 employees filed stress claims against her, prompting a 400% increase in her insurance premiums.

Michael Stennis, president of the Golden Bird fried chicken company, said his monthly premiums jumped from $6,000 to $13,000 after 25 employees sought compensation for stress.

“We have no recourse,” Stennis said. “We can’t fight it. We pay. We pay. We pay.”

Wilson’s proposal would in most cases prohibit the filing of claims after an employee leaves a firm. And stress claims, except in the case of public safety employees, would be compensable only when a sudden and extraordinary event at work caused the psychiatric injury. This would ban disability claims for the cumulative effects of normal on-the-job stress.

Wilson’s legislative package also would limit workers to one medical evaluation to determine whether their injuries were work-related. It also would limit vocational rehabilitation benefits and inject more competition into the workers’ compensation insurance market.

Although Democrats have accepted many changes that Wilson proposes or have offered similar alternatives, they want to tie the measures to an immediate increase in disability benefits for injured workers who would qualify under the new rules. Wilson wants to withhold the benefit increases until the employers who pay for the system realize savings.

Katz, who attended Friday’s forum but did not participate, said Wilson should have played a more active role in the regular legislative session if he was sincere about overhauling the system.

“This issue is the only possible hook the Republicans have to show they’re concerned about the economy,” Katz said. “The Bush-Reagan-Quayle-Wilson economic plan is a disaster. The country is in a depression and their (the Republicans’) only hope to blame it on someone else is to blame workers’ compensation as the problem for the state having an economy as bad as it is.”