Alabama, Workers’ Compensation and the Race to the Bottom

IF YOU LIVE IN ALABAMA–WATCH THIS VIDEO. It should make everyone who sees it furious about how poorly our State treats injured workers and question why our Legislature refuses to do anything to amend our broken workers’ compensation laws.

Part of the reason our Legislature is not interested in injured workers is because they do not funnel money into Montgomery, and business do.

Another reason I hear is that Alabama officials argue that strengthening our antiquated workers’ comp laws would raise costs to business and force them to other States. This rationale is known as the “Race to the Bottom.” The logic is that the cheaper we can make it on businesses, the more businesses will relocate to Alabama, bringing lucrative jobs with them. Unfortunately, the facts do not support this contention.

Alabama has the worst benefits for injured workers in America. Loose both or your arms in Alabama while performing your job duties, you receive $88,000.00; the American tax payer picks up the rest of the costs.

Alabama also allows businesses to forgo paying State taxes for up to 10 years (there has been legislation trying to push this up to 20 years).

Alabama ranks in the bottom of States regarding educating our children and quality of life. We rank as one of the worst States concerning gun violence, rates of incarceration and poverty. We are told that the State is $770 million dollars in the red. At the same time, workers compensation premiums are at their lowest rate in 30 years and workers’ compensation insurance companies are more profitable than any other line of insurance other than automobile insurance companies.

We have won the Race to the Bottom, and as a State, we are not better off. Alabama workers, and especially injured workers, are worse off.

Alabama workers deserve better. The attorneys at Powell and Denny, along with other workers compensation attorneys throughout Alabama and the Alabama Association of Justice have been working for years trying to get the ear of someone in Montgomery to realize the plight of injured workers in our State, but without voters demanding change, nothing will change.

Please take the time to contact your Legislator and tell them that injured workers in Alabama deserve better, and if you have suffered a work injury and you have questions about your right to Alabama Workers’ Compensation benefits, don’t hesitate to contact and speak with one of the experienced Alabama Workers Comp Lawyers at Powell and Denny today.

Powell and Denny: We Work When You Can’t

Offices in Birmingham, AL and Huntsville, AL

 

Powell and Denny have been selected as one of the Best Law Firms in America by U.S. News and World Report for each of the last 5 years.