The Winslow mail., 1925-09-15
Terms Of Proposed
Compensation Law
From the Tucson Labor Journal

mitted' to have comprehensive
workmen's compensation law.
The states of New York and Cal
ifornia had to amend their consti-
tutions before they could have a
compensation law. Arizona will
have to amend its constitution be-
fore more than a fraction of the
workers of this state are given pro-
lection under the laws of the state.
A compensation bill was recon-
mended by the governor, the pro-
posed bill was passed unanimously
by the senate and with only five
votes against it in the house, and
signed by the governor.
It has been endorsed by the eX-
ecutive committee of the Arizona
State Federation of Labor, the
Phoenix Central Labor Union, the
Tucson Central Labor Union and
the Globe-Miami Central Labor I'm
ion and other organizations. 1t has
also received the endorsement of
many of the employers of the state,
although some of them are in Op-
position to it.
The present Arizona law is the
oldest unamended law in the Unit
ed States. 1t is obsolete 1t pro-
tects only portion of the workers
and is the cause of much friction
and bitterness in industry and
serves as a means of livelihood for
a flock of personal injury lawyers
and their ambulance chaserS
FOrty-tWO states now have work
mems compensation laws, all bul
two of them have amended their
laws since 1912. making them
mere liberal.
Twenty tive states provide work
mems compensation for employees
of the state and its subdivisions.
Arizona does not. The last Iegis-
;atu.e appropriated $4,000 to com
rensate some of the empires WIG
were injured and the dependents of
some of those who were killed, and
then only a portion of those moral
! ly entitled to compensation 1eceiy-
ed anything.
Forty-two states require en-
ployerS to insure their employees.
Seventeen states provide additional
protection for both employers and
workers through state insurance
funds. Eight of these seventeen
states make their state insurance
fund the exclusive fund for insur-
ance.
The proposed bill, if enacted, will
be the best compensation law for
injuries in the United States, fair
to both employer and employe un-
der present conditions, including as
it does the best features o. all the
laws in existence. AS already
stated it has the approval of the
legislature, the governor and or
ganized workers and broad-minded
employers. The only organized op-
position to the bill comes from a
group of attorneys who specialize
in personal injury suits.
The supreme court Of the United
States has approved many similar
laws.
The supreme court of Arizona in
the Crisman case endorsed the
spirit of the proposed law and
stated that Impressed as we have
been with the desirability and ne
cessity for just and fair compen-
sation law in this state, to take
the place of the burdensome, eX-
pensive and litigous remedies for
h ri JfN-IS
occupations we would have
been gratified to sustain the
present legislation Ca compensation
law)"
The present bill was introduced
in the legislature by a plasterer and
a railroad trainman. The bill is
the result Of ten years OF discus
sion in this state and of some eight
or ten different measures viii IL
have been drawn from time TO
time. There are some minor MAJ
ters in ne bill still to be correct
ed, but this can be done by any
future legislature. AS matters now
stand the only way anything can
be done is by a vote of the people
through cons' itutional amendment.
The principles in this bill have
the endorsement of the American
Federation of Labor, they have the
endorsement of the American AS
| sociatiCn for labor Legisl laiiC'n;
the fundamental; IN the bill have
been recommended by four pref
dents Cf the United States, nearly
every governor in the United States
in the past twelve years, and by
the four brothcrhoods Of railway
trainmen. The proposed bill has
! received the specific endorsement
: of the president Of the American
Federation Of Labor and of the
American Association for Labor
Legislation.
| The bill will Tot only protect the
: workers, but we believe will pro-
mote industry in tie state of Ari-
IONA, especially small manufactur
ing plants.
The hill does not make it COM
pulsory upon farmer to insure
his employees, but gives him the Cp-
portunity to do 81 voluntarily if he
: so desires.
! The people of this state have the
opportunity of doing something in
: a large constructive way to pro