Bush, Asbestos and the Expendable Workforce

[rumpel]

I heard last week that Bush stepped in, supporting the effort to stop "frivolous lawsuits" against corporations, such as injuries resulting from asbestos.
Here is an effort to protect those who have been harmed.

USAction Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2005 
CONTACT: Laila Hirschfeld, [phone] [e-mail]   


President Bush Sides with Corporate Wrong-Doers Over American Workers

“We urge Congress to remember the innocent victims,” says USAction President William McNary

(Washington, DC)— As the Senate begins hearings on asbestos today, USAction President William McNary urged Senators to remember the innocent workers and their families who are the real victims, rather than the corporate wrong-doers. McNary released the following statement:

“President Bush missed an opportunity last week to demonstrate his concern for innocent workers and their families who were knowingly exposed to asbestos. He never once talked about the real tragedy: the healthcare crisis facing the tens of thousands of American workers who, without being told, were exposed to this deadly substance. 

“The President didn’t talk about the horrible diseases that come from exposure, or the fact that asbestos manufacturers, and their insurers, have known for over half a century that the substance was deadly, and knowingly exposed workers anyway.  He also neglected to mention that the victims—honest workers coming home from work—unwittingly took the poison home with them on their work clothes, and tragically exposed their spouses and children. 

“Instead, the President used his bully pulpit last week to repeatedly make clear that his number one priority is to protect asbestos manufacturers, the insurance industry, HMOs, the pharmaceutical companies and the nursing home industry from being held accountable for poisoning their workers; for injuries from medical errors, harmful drugs and other products.

 “USAction believes that the first step Congress should take is to ban asbestos. The starting point for a federal trust fund must be the needs of current and future workers, their families and others exposed to this deadly product, not the needs of the very industries that knowingly poisoned them.”

“We urge the Senate to support Senator Murray’s proposed ban on asbestos and to develop a trust fund that truly is fair to innocent workers and their families.”

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USAction is dedicated to winning social, racial, and economic justice for all. USAction fights to win on issues that matter to every American. We represent three million members in 34 affiliates, with statewide organizations in 24 states.  Members of the media who wish to interview President William McNary should contact Laila Hirschfeld at [phone].