AFL-CIO Asbestos Legislation
AFL-CIO Opposes Asbestos Bail Out Bill (S. 3274) (6/8/2006)
On May 26, Senator Specter introduced a revised asbestos litigation reform bill, the "Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2006" (S. 3274). When the Senate considered the last version of this legislation (S. 852) in February, we expressed the view that the trust fund created by the bill would fall short of its promise to fairly compensate the victims of this devastating disease. Unfortunately, the revised bill only addresses one of the objections we raised at the time. More...
Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney On Asbestos Trust Fund Legislation (S.852) (4/25/2005)
The AFL-CIO has consistently supported the establishment of a federal asbestos trust fund to fairly compensate asbestos victims for their injuries through a no fault system. At the same time we have made clear that we cannot accept a substitute to the current civil litigation system unless it would provide a means by which victims could obtain fair compensation on a timely basis More...
AFL-CIO, Shut Out from Talks, Rebukes New Funding"Agreement" as "Grossly Inadequate" (10/16/2003)
I am writing to convey to you the AFL-CIO's deep concerns about the reported "agreement" on funding for asbestos compensation legislation that has been reached between asbestos defendant companies and their insurers. The $115 billion funding agreement provides far less funding than S. 1125 as reported out of the Judiciary Committee. More...
AFL-CIO Fact SheetThe Hatch Asbestos Compensation Bill (S. 1125) is Unfair to Workers (6/3/2003)
Asbestos compensation legislation (S. 1125) introduced by Senator Hatch (R- UT) is a regressive measure that relieves manufacturers, employers and insurers of liability and fails to provide fair compensation to victims of asbestos disease. More...