CSE Fights Governor Granholm’s Job Killing Executive Order

Do you remember the 1970’s and early 1980’s bumper stickers “Would the last person leaving Michigan turn out the lights?” Michigan’s high taxes, runaway government spending and high workers compensation costs drove employers out of the state. In 1985, Governor Blanchard and a bipartisan legislative team created the Workers Compensation Appellate Commission (WCAC) to bring reason and swift justice to workers compensation cases. The WCAC put expert judges in charge of cases, cleared a five-year backlog and has delivered fair, swift justice for injured workers and employers. This has been essential to improving Michigan’s economic climate.

Over the last decade, Michigan reduced its tax burden, brought frivolous lawsuits under control, brought its workers compensation costs in line with other states, and has become a good place to do business and create jobs. Governor Granholm’s recent executive order threatens that progress.

Last week, Governor Granholm issued Executive Order 2003-14, which would eliminate the WCAC and take us back to a workers comp system that failed. Only the trail lawyers have advocated eliminating the WCAC. (Remember the Michigan Trail Lawyers Association and several prominent trial lawyers were Granholm’s #1 financial supporters.) The trail attorneys want to go back to a workers compensation appeals process that will result in lawsuit lottery for trail lawyers.

Stop the Granholm/Trial Lawyer power grab. The state Senate has already overturned the Granholm Executive Order, and the House is holding hearings. You can do your part by writing Governor Granholm a letter urging her to keep a worker compensation system that is effective and has been crucial to improving Michigan’s job climate.

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