Press Releases
USAction Events Calendar (month)
Newsletter Archive
Affiliates in Action
|
|
 |
|
Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Septemebr 17, 2004
USAction Opposes New Asbestos Proposal
Launches TV Ad Opposing Windfalls to
Corporations Like Halliburton
Contact: Helen Gonzales, Policy Director, 202-624-1727 or 202-624-1730
(Washington, DC) – USAction today spoke out in opposition to a new proposal that Senate Democratic leaders have offered to the Senate Republican leadership. The consumer organization expressed major concerns with both Senator Frist’s offer and the counter-offer by Senator Daschle, arguing they tilt too much towards the asbestos companies and their insurers who knowingly poisoned hundreds of thousands of workers with asbestos.
“Asbestos victims need help to cope with the devastating health and financial consequences of their asbestos-related diseases,” said Jeff Blum, executive director of USAction. “These proposals are woefully inadequate, both in the funding levels being considered and in the onus it places on those innocent victims who deserve fair compensation.”
Blum reminded Senators that the current trust fund proposal is $13 billion less than the $153 billion measure adopted by the Judiciary Committee last year, with most Democrats voting against that measure. He also noted that the Democratic leadership proposal still fails to provide adequate startup funding for asbestos victims who will have valid claims in the first year of operation, thereby delaying compensation for years.
“That’s time that thousands of asbestos victims don’t have,” Blum said.
USAction believes the asbestos trust fund should NOT take away compensation that’s already been promised to hundreds of thousands of asbestos victims, and instead give it back to the companies that poisoned them in the first place.
The proposal voted on by the Senate last April would have huge benefits for asbestos companies like Halliburton, who would receive a $3.5 billion windfall. Similarly, W.R Grace would save $1.7 billion.
USAction said it was pleased that the Democratic Leadership proposal reportedly would allow some asbestos cases to proceed outside of the trust fund – asbestos cases already in trial or that have a trial date within 60 days of enactment of the bill and mesothelioma cases with set trial dates. But, the organization noted it is troubled that all other pending cases that have no trial date would have to depend on the inadequately funded new program.
According to Blum, “that would unfairly require many Americans, who were poisoned by asbestos and have waited years for justice, to start the process all over again.”
Earlier this week, the American Thoracic Society estimated that asbestos is still a hazard for 1.3 million construction and maintenance workers. But, these workers and others who become ill 10, 15, 20 years from now because of their exposure to this deadly poison, may have no recourse to help them and their families deal with their disease.
Another troubling factor is that all asbestos victims would receive, on average, less from this new trust fund than they would get in court. Many very ill former asbestos workers and some whose diseases are still in the earliest stages would receive no compensation at all, even if they have been forced into early retirement or cannot find work or health insurance because of their medical conditions.
“We urge Senators to carefully weigh their decision about the pending proposals. Their number one objective must be to make sure that companies, and their insurers, who knowingly exposed workers and their families to asbestos, are held accountable for their actions. Compensation levels and the process set up to receive that compensation must be fair to workers, and their surviving families, first and foremost,” said Blum.
Meanwhile, USAction announced that it will begin to air a TV advertisement focused on how this legislation favors corporations over the workers that were knowingly poisoned with asbestos. The ad features Halliburton, a company that could still be “bailed out” of the settlement it has reached with at least 300,000 of workers and their families. The ad is scheduled to begin airing on Washington, DC and national cable outlets on Friday, September 17, 2004.
(View the ad)
#####
Download Press Release
|
|
