The Problem  

For the last several years or more, a concerted campaign has been waged in Hawai'i and many states to systematically under mind, abuse and eliminate state workers' compensation laws in the name of "reform." 

True "reform" is indeed needed, but few seem to care anymore about improving the laws for the injured workers.  As a result, the medical and legal systems are made less and less able to actually help injured workers recuperate.  Sadly, the original beneficial purpose of these laws is being erased. 

The main purpose of the comp. system, which should be to assist and rehabilitate workers who are hurt on the job, has been so badly eroded that now many workers cannot even get into the system to begin recovery.  Adding insult to injury, today's injured workers are often treated like thieves and malingerers instead of the victims of an industrial system. 

Once stable families with injured workers are then burdened again by family stress.  Blue collar or minimum wage workers are particularly vulnerable and terribly exploited in our society.  The work environment does not have the security it once had.  Government safety nets that once gave them at least some protection, are cruelly snatched away.

No one is immune; people can be exposed to life-threatening or debilitating workplace hazards in managerial as well as janitorial positions.  It isn't just the manual laborer that is susceptible to workplace injury any more. 

This cycle of abuse can only be stopped if workers know their rights before they are injured, have real medical, legal, technical information, and organize to change unfair laws and the institutions, government officials and politicians that are taking away or ignoring their rights.