Miami Labor Citizen

Labor-Sponsored Measures Get Legislative Approval Through Roche, Assistants

Special to Miami Labor Citizen

TALLAHASSEE.-A series of labor-sponsored bills considered by many to represent the most important phase of the Florida State Federation of Labor 1951 legislative program won approval of the Legislature last week.

The measures liberalizing benefits paid under the unemployment insurance and workmen's compensation acts

went to Governor Warren, who was expected to give them the nod of approval that will make them become law.

Completion of legislative action on the measures meant that this session had adopted the most sympathetic point of view toward the working man's problems of any Legislature in many years. Passage of the bills also reflected the effective work of labor's legislative representatives headed by Frank Roche, president of the Florida Federation of Labor.

Mr. Roche had able assistance from Chester Daniels, Sanford, representative of the State Electrical Workers' Association and all privately owned power company employees, and Ralph Bagley, Miami, representing the State Council of Carpenters. A number of others were here to lend a hand from time to time but Mr. Daniels and Mr. Bagley were assigned here for the duration of the session.

Most controversial of the bills that passed the Senate after pri

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Labor-Sponsored Measures
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or House approval was one increasing the maximum benefit payment under employment insurance to $20 a week. The measure increased the previous maximum payment by $5 but left the ceiling on duration of payments at 16 weeks.

This bill expected to encounter rough sailing in the Senate passed, 28 to 3, after Sen. John Branch of Hillsborough appealed on the floor for its passage.

Much credit was given by labor representatives to the Hillsborough delegation for favorable legislative treatment of this bill. Able assistance also was given in the House by the Dade delegation and by Rep. Thomas B. Dowda of Putnam, chairman of the workmen's compensation committee that reported the bill out favorably, and by Reps. Brooks E. Payne of Pasco, Ralph Turlington of Alachua and G.W. Courtney from Bay among others.

Reps. James S. Moody of Hillsborough, Dante B. Fascell, Robert L. Floyd, George S. Okell of Dade, Payne, Turlington, Dowda and Courtney, and Sens. R.B. (Bunn) Gautier of Dade and Harry E. King of Polk also were on hand to put in a word when it was needed most.

The Hillsborough delegation was in the forefront of the fight against a well organized and powerful management lobby that bitterly opposed any increase in unemployment insurance benefits.

Reps. F.S. Clair, Pittman and Moody of Hillsborough introduced the compromise measure sponsored by the Advisory Council of the Florida Industrial Commission calling for increasing benefits to $22 for 20 weeks. Rep. Tom Johnson, also of Hillsborough, was chairman of the subcommittee which rewrote the bill finally passed to make it conform with recommendations of the Senate committee on labor and industry.

Reps. Pittman and Johnson and Sen. Branch attended all committee hearings on the subject in their respective chambers and put up a vigorous fight for the greatest possible liberalization of benefit payments and duration of benefits.

Reps. Dowda and Courtney and the Dade delegation took the lead in presenting and steering workmen's compensation legislation to passage in the House. Sens. King and Gautier were active in the fight for it in the Senate.

Workmen's compensation measures passed by whopping big majorities in both chambers.

Most beneficial of these bills were measures increasing maximum compensation for industrial accident injuries to $35 a week and increasing the duration of benefits payable for permanent total disability to lifetime. The previous limit was 350 weeks—about seven years.

Previously passed by the Legislature was a bill making an employer liable to double indemnity payments for refusing to provide employees with proper safety devices as prescribed by the Florida Industrial Commission. This will make possible the enforcement of an effective state safety code to protect workers against on-the-job accidents.

Also passed by House and Senate was a bill to aid employers by relieving those with the best records of stable employment from paying anything into the unemployment compensation fund as long as it remains above the $50,000,000 mark. It stands at about $75,000,000 now and is increasing at the rate of about $1,000,000 a year.

If the fund falls below $50,000,000, Class A employers will be required to pay at the rate of one tenth of 1 per cent of their total payrolls. If the fund falls below $28,000,000 this tax rate will go up to seven tenths of 1 per cent.

This bill and the increase in maximum unemployment compensation benefits will permit employers and employees to enjoy some relief through the big reserve that has piled up in the fund.

Still to be acted on at this session were labor federation sponsored proposals calling for creation of a State Department of Labor and Industry and resubmission of the anti-labor Tom Watson amendment to a vote of the people. With time running out, it is considered unlikely that these bills will be considered at this session.