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About Nyssa gate city journal. (Nyssa, Or.) 1937-199? | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1976)
Thursday, May 20, 1976 __ Nyssa Gate City Journal, Nyssa, Oregon Page Nine A Salem Scene by Jack Zimmarmar 7immarinsn • Workman's ( ompanaatlon Coat Staggers Dragon Em ptoyars Already oppressive costs borne by Oregon empoyers to fund the state's program insuring workers against occupational disabilities may rise more than 40 per cent by mid-summer. The current »250 million annual burden could increase by another »100 million July I If proposed new rates are accepted by Insurance Com missioner Lester Rawls in Salem. A 41.5 percent average rate increase for Workmen's Compensation Insurance pre miums has been proposed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, ap proved by the state's Classi- flcation and Rating Com mittee and submitted to Rawls. The Insurance Commis sioner has announced hear ings on the record rate increase will begin at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June I, in Room 20 of the Capitol Budding. Little more than a year ago Rawls bowed his back and refused to accept NCCI's initial 1975-76 rate increase of 14.4 per cent. His unprece dented action attracted only scant attention and that boost ultimately was whittled to an average of 9.9 percent. This year's premium rate proposal is getting all kinds of attention One reason is the sue of the boost— far exceed ing the highest previous raise of 27.1 percent in 1971. Another is the fact Work men's Compensation in Ore gon has become the most expensive nationwide for employers and there are fears such a significant addition to the cost of doing business will have serious implications in a still shaky general economy. An example is the small Salem manufacturing plant employing 41 workers. One of the eight subsidiaries of a national firm, the Oregon operation employs only 8 percent of the parent com pany's total U. S workforce But it pays Workmen’s Com pensation premiums amount ing to 29 percent of the company's national total. Across the board, Oregon employers now pay nearly 3 percent of national Work men's Compensation costs to insure something less than I percent of the country's total covered employes. A program that cost »35 million 10 years ago. could cost »350 million in the year ahead. Reaction to the latest rate hike proposal has been swift and succinct. Gov. Bob Straub said the rates are a severe blow to Oregon industry. Rep. Ed Lindquist (D-Jennings Lodge), who heads a legislative interim subcommittee studying Work men's Comp, described the increase as a disaster. Business spokesmen call the proposals overwhelming They forecast corresponding increases in consumer prices for goods and services and a further weakening of the competitive position for Ore gon manufacturers producing goods marketed nationally and worldwide. Organized labor, on the other hand, greeted the new rates with vows to maintain present benefits awarded injured workers and to press for greater compensation. Insurance carriers and rate makers explain higher rates are required mainly to fund soaring costs of benefits for workers permanently totally disabled and those termed permanently partially dis abled-—coupled with upward- spiraling costa of medical care. Critics claim the system's major flaws consist largely of existing statutes permitting easy access to permanent total and permanent partial disability status and liberal interpretations of those sta tutes by administrators and courts involved in a lengthy appeals process. They agree the only saisfactory recourse is a comprehensive overhaul of existing taws governing the system and ainicipate a fullscale revision'as a major subject facing the 1977'State Legislature. Employers pay premiums based on so myiy dollars per »100 of payroll. The premium rates range from as low as 36 cents per »100 for clerical workers to nearly »100 per »100 for housewreckers. They buy the insurance from the State Accident Insurance Fund, private insurance com panies or they self-insure—in the case of a few large employers. Comprehensive studies of the Oregon system have absolved accident frequency and working conditions from blame for escalating rates. The same studies saddle escalating numbers of per manent total and permanent partial disabilities with rising coats. A permaneiit total disa bility can produce maximum benefits amounting to as much as $205.17 weekly for life. And such benefits do not mean the recipient has been maimed or will remain bedfast forever. More than 80 percent of permanent total Wnefits now go to workers 50 years old and older. Benefits are tax free and are not diminshed upon receipt of Social Security payments. Graphic illustrations of the rising permanent total inci dence are provided by Work men's Compensation Board statistics showing WCB awards rising from 73 in 1968 to more than 300 in 1975 with the total exceeding 250 cases every year since 1972. Reluctance to press for revisions and ferret out abusers appears likely to evaporate in light of the latest rate recommendations. , Consider the case of the garbage collecting firm em ploying 40 garbagemen. which pays »13.17 per »100 of payroll plus a 15 percent penalty every month because one former worker is per manently and totally disabled with a bad back, That company pays a monthly Workmen's Com- pensatin Insurance premium of »5.000 The employer might claim that's a lot of garbage The system’s critics agree, at the same time : attaching a much broader ! definition to the term for i household waste. Come in and^ Guess My Live Weight • • • Some interesting figures related to the supply and disappearance of wheat may be of interest. For instance the amount of wheat pro cessed for food use in the U. S. has changed very little since 1935 when It stood at 490 million bushels. In 1944 It dropped to 473 million bushels and hovered around this figure until the late 50’s. By 1964 wheat processed for 5 food stood at 509 million bushels and this figure has worked up to 525 million bushels in 1974. Crop carry over has fluctuated over the years rising to a high of 1,411 million bushels in 1961, an all time high. Carryover stayed high until the mid - 60’s dropping to 425 million bushels in 1967, rising again to over 800 million bushels in the late 60's early 70’s. In 1974 carryover stood at 247 million bushels, the lowest figure since 1949. Production rose to an all-time high of 1973 million bushels in 1974. Although total supply was lower than It was in I960 when production plus carry over totaled 2.679 million bushels. fixports tell the story with I960 exports totaling 662 million bushels and 1974 exports nearly double that at 1,039,000 bushels. The re duction in carryover and increase in exports has resulted in greater returns to growers, reduced govern ment costs and a substantial boost for a favorable balance of trade. A» SIZE size PRICE TAX 155112 165113 155115 165115 22.93 26.58 28.53 29.25 UndadPJLfarftewoigHn \wbon the winner wdl bo PRICE 155112 155113 165113 175114 155115 165115 40,000 135 1.82 1.61 1.96 II ba Moab of Ito five I m Sdiwab 4 EMfolf Tira Cantor» waiting to meal j yov from naw until Saturday, May J 31.47 32.68 33.47 40.61 37.46 38.76 Mie Steal M t ■! Seiberling 110 Polyester SIZE 878113 E78114 F»8il4 G78114 H78114 G78X1S H78115 L78X15 the Rig os norm will cut ora wrap it for you 6H0GST0K GIVEN AWAY! 0m In Eadi Location! J f «Coffee ■ «Coke 4 * Cookies B/W TAX W/W 22.49 24.41 2636 27.49 29.22 27.99 29.99 32.43 20.50 21.97 23.96 24.66 1X4 2.25 2.39 2.55 2.75 238 2X9 3.98 25.19 Fiberglass Radial or. »AT. MAT A 21, n 11 Without With Trade Trade Tax 700x15 6 ply 28” 24” 2“ 750x16 • ply 40" 35* 359 30,00k idle gvoraatoe fiberglass poly, bolted radtai SIZE iMMfw BR78113 MMfr' CR78114 Z/Z^ EX78114 FX78114 Mohawk Ultimiler c. W/W Seiberling GN «Balloons Your County Agent Soys Those of you who spray your grain for weed control should remember that this job must be done before the heads get in the boot Spraying after that time will adversely effect the yield. Best weed control is obtained by sprayingtearly anyway, so now there are two good reasons to get that chore over with as soon as possible. 2. 4-D is still the chemical of choice for selective spraying on grain. For most weeds I# acid per acre In 10 • 20 gallons of water does an effective job of controlling lambsquarter. pigweed, flla- ree, mustards, and many other broadleaf annuals. Bolide Steel Radial Veloce Fabric Radial Exchange GR78xl4 HK78114 GI7S11S HK78115 JX78115 1X78115 PRICE 31.69 34.71 37.92 38.22 49.42 41X5 41X1 42.86 44.06 45.96 TAX 2.93 2.21 2.45 2.63 2X9 2.99 2X8 3.97 3.19 3.34 LES SCHWAB A 2<M N. Main Pt. 467-2127 M- XX X I s * Rk 376-5124
