I’m in a Machiavellian mood today, so as long as I’m giving free advice to Democrats and Democratic constituency groups, I thought I’d offer my own prescription for countering the BIAW and the millions of dollars of workers compensation money they spend each year on right-wing candidates and causes. (You know, like the big bucks they’re investing in Susan Hutchison’s campaign.)
Put Retro reform on the ballot.
Understand, I’m not saying you need to actually pass Retro reform, just put it on the ballot — year after year after year after year — thus forcing BIAW to spend their kitty defending their cash cow.
Preferably, the Democrats in the legislature would have the balls to muster enough votes to put a Retro reform measure before voters, because that essentially costs our side nothing. But for about half a million dollars or so, and a little bit of union organizing, it could easily be done by initiative.
The money it skims from Retro comprises the bulk of the money BIAW spends on political campaigns, thus any year in which BIAW is forced to defend its livelihood is another year in which it is taken out of the game. And following the Eyman model, our side doesn’t have to spend anything pushing the measure. If it fails, we just run it again. If it passes, bye-bye BIAW.
Or, of course, Democrats and their progressive constituency groups can continue doing what we’ve been doing for years, spending millions of dollars annually on the defensive, exhausting our resources fighting right-wing measures in lieu of pushing forward our own agenda.
Doesn’t seem like a very tough choice to me.
If unions have to spend 500k to repeal retro because BIAW lackey Frank Chopp won’t let it through the legislation, the unions should take it out of his future campaign donations until it’s paid back.
legislature not legislation
(Goldy’s edit function isn’t working today)
In case you haven’t noticed Goldy , the Democrats are in charge , In Seattle , In Olympia , in Washington D.C , everywhere it counts to make public policy .
It is not the B.I.A.W. , it’s not the editor of the Times , or Tim Eyeman that control the state of affairs . It is the Blue Wave .
Brilliant idea. Is Deb Eddy still tuned in to HA?
Sounds like a very good idea to me. 5000 people @ $100 each and you’ve got your $500K. Where can I donate?
Machiavellian in a beautiful sort of way.
1. What if we just eliminated association group sponsored plans? Firms would only be eligible for retro bucks on an individual basis.
2. Adjust experience ratings to truly punish firms who expose their employees to safety risks.
There should be an initiative on the ballot every year for income tax reform.
Pigs will fly before that happens.
For starters we could convince somebody to report the fact that the “coding error” that led to millions and millions of dollars in overpayments to BIAW and its Retro program happened under former L&I Retro Director Frank Romero.
Mr. Romero is now making considerably more money as an EMPLOYEE OF THE B.I.A.W.
@10
Nice! Good catch.
@10 Did BIAW put him in charge of negotiating repayment of their overpayments?
Deb Eddy still reads HA. Got a question?
I’m on board. Our side needs to better focus on off-year elections anyway — just to keep us sharp and engaged.
Goldy, Since we all know about WEA heavy handedness and the recent judicial smackdown of the WEA… How much money are they supporting Dow with?
WEA-Cascade UniServ Council recommends the following candidates and issues:
For King County Executive
Dow Constantine
For Edmonds School Board
Susan Phillips
For Northshore School Board
Julia Lacey
Initiative 1033
Vote “NO”
Referendum 71
Vote to “APPROVE”
Puddy sez BIAW counteracts the WEA and other unions!
Many HA readers cme here for advice on how to vote. Fr those who oppose the BIAW, it might be useful to vote AGAINST BIAWstands.
To help this, Puddy seemingly knows how the BIAW stands on all these elections!
oS, dearest Puddy … Tx.
BIAW (according to Puddy’s Cat Box)
For King County Executive
BIAW endorses Hutchinson
For Edmonds School Board
BIAW endorses Mark Zandberg
For Northshore School Board
BIAW endorses Sue Buske
Initiative 1033
BIAW vote “YES”
Referendum 71
BIAW vote “No”
ooops … not wants .. Phillips lks good from here but whoever BUIAW wants, vote fr Phillips!
Yep BIAW wants Zandberg
Even with the BIAW, the left generally has a big advantage in fundraising. For example no-on-1033 has $1.2 mil while yes has virtually nothing.
If voters perceive that the left has the advantage in money, and now wants to acheive utter domination by playing games with the init process, the voters may not react kindly. So the scheme could backfire.
I say go for it!
Yeah, by all means punish those evil companies who strive to make their workplaces safer and benefit by being a VOLUNTARY AND I REPEAT VOLUNTARY member of the BIAW and receive a portion of their L&I premiums back because of it. I’ve yet to see you bitch about unions taking dues premiums and giving the money to liberals whether or not the contributing worker is in agreement. A bit hypocritical I must say. Why are L&I rates going up 20% when claims are down, way down? Why are there 1800 lifetime pensions given out last year in Washington and only 14 in Oregon? Why are Oregons L&I rates down 14% over the past 10 years and Washingtons UP 60%. Yes 60%!!! Why is the average time loss for a worker 266 days in Washington (longest in the country) compared to 70 days avg? These BIAW hornblowers must be STOPPED! Why are liberals so fucking retarded? Why?
Why do union workers live in houses that were built with NON UNION labor? Bill Gates is the only one I know who used union labor for his house and he’s not union. WHY?
Why do union workers live in houses that were built with NON UNION labor? Bill Gates is the only one I know who used union labor for his house and he’s not union. WHY?
Why do these high paid union workers always drive such pieces of shit with their UNION YES bumperstickers? Ever notice this? I have. Because their fucked up whiny bitches, thats why. Barely producing whiny fucking bitches that RUIN every industry they touch. 5dollar co-pay? Waaaahhhhhh Wahhahh!
Anyone ever seen a retired lawyer try to run a screwgun or a weedwacker? HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA WWAAAAHHH WWAAAHHHHH! Fuck me to tears! HAHAHAHAHA
@20: Pure wingnut propaganda. You fuckers would make Kim Il Sung blush. Let’s just take one of these fucking lies: “Why is the average time loss for a worker 266 days in Washington (longest in the country) compared to 70 days avg?”
Here’s the facts from L&I’s website:
Q: Does the average injured worker in Washington miss 266 days of work?
A: It is incorrect and misleading to say the average injured worker in Washington misses 266 days of work. Here are the facts:
■72% of injured workers receive no wage replacement for missed days of work and, instead, receive only medical coverage.
■Of injured workers who receive wage-replacement benefits (also referred to as time-loss), about one-third receive only one payment (two weeks pay or less) and about half receive payment for 40 days or less.
■L&I’s median time-loss duration is 40 days, which compares favorably to a national study (National Council on Compensation Insurance) of 37 states that shows a median time-loss duration of 45 days. (Median means that half of the time-loss claims are longer than 40 days and half are shorter.)
As for the specific number of 266, this number is not the average for all injured workers. It is an actuarial estimate for only a specific group of workers. It does not include the vast majority of workers who were injured but did not lose time from work. It does not include workers who were kept on salary by their employers, and it does not include workers who lose three days or less of work. The actuarial estimate measures only those time-loss claims in which the worker was out of work for more than three days. This group includes long-term claims, and those kinds of claims drive the system average up – 8% of claims represent 88% of the system’s total costs.
Here’s the link: http://www.lni.wa.gov/news/2009/qa091015a.asp
The stupid. It burns.
The Reich has been trying to destroy unions for years. Why should we not return the favor and destroy the BIAW?
I really don’t understand why the progressive rich bastards out there don’t create their own Tim Eyman. It wouldn’t be hard to find a more photogenic, web-savvy, populist spokesperson than Tim, and all it takes is money to pay for ads and signature-gatherers. The Left should be fielding an initiative or two each and every time there’s a vote.
The Reich have complained for years about wasteful government spending. The BIAW usage of public funds is certainly a waste. QED The Reich should want the state to cut off funds to the BIAW.
During this Bush caused Depression our state cannot afford nonessential expenditures. There is little less essential to Washington State than the BIAW. Tits on a bull mouse are more useful.
25 WOW way to stretch it out! If you add in all the stubbed toes that didn’t even happen at work I guess your numbers work. You must work for L&I. Way to go!
28 HEY EKIM, you don’t have to belong to BIAW. It’s VOLUNTARY! I do it for FUN. And I do it to get back hard earned money for providing a safe work environment for my employees. It’s a group thing and it’s VOLUNTARY. I pay them, it’s my money and I choose to be a member. Is that OK with you? They ARE NOT TAKING MONEY FROM INJURED WORKERS! They are not TAKING MONEY FROM YOU! Unions do these things not BIAW.
Say it slow V-O-L-U-N-T-A-R-Y!! Goooood boys and girls!
@30: Your ‘point’ is totally unsubstantsive, and why should a small insignificant sample be compared to all other states that include all those stubbed toes?
The truth on retro:
http://retroreform.org/index.p.....;Itemid=60
Deb @13: Was wondering if the suggestion in this post was of any interest? :-)
Maybe conservatives could counter with a school choice measure each year.
Well, YellowPup@34 … I laughed when I read it. Unfortunately, while it’s momentarily funny/ironic, it doesn’t really address the issue and would eventually backfire (“What’s with those guys?”).
This year, now that the L&I report is finished, I expect we’ll take a serious shot at reform. The question is not one of whether participation is “voluntary” or whether we like the guys running the program. These programs are essentially required by government, whether we run it or someone else. SO, I think it’s quite fair to ask, what are appropriate terms, o/h, marginal return? Those would be fair questions, no matter who runs it, BIAW or SEIU or Mickey Mouse.
On the other hand, I always appreciate Goldy’s creativity. Ha, indeed.
These monies are voluntary, unlike UNION DUES that are cheated out of honest working people’s pockets. You give me right to work, I will gladly give up the BIAW.