Posted by Merle Campbell on August 12, 1999 at 16:26:36:
In Reply to: AT&T Injured Worker?? posted by M.L. on August 12, 1999 at 08:13:53:
ML;
some years ago my wife and I took on GM, with 1500 plus others, over the
5.7 GM diesel engine fiasco. GM kissed us off until we formed
"Dieselgate" and went to the media.
The key is to have individuals drop into newspapers and TV and radio
stations on a regular basis. Have different people call, go in and
write. It took a while before the media took an interest, when they did
GM started fixing the cars finally settling our lawsuit and buying back
a significant numer of lemon cars.
We also had lemon stickers on our cars. Bumpers stickers that say AT&T
screws injured workers or AT&T fires injured workers or some other truth
plastered on your cars, shopping bags, front doors, mailbox post or any
other visible place will help get their attention.
Finally look look for an attorney that has guts. No guts get another
attorney. The attorney should not be worried about fairness to AT&T or
how its been done in the past. The attorney should be eager to do any
thing legal to even the playing field and win. The time for polite is
over. Be aggressive. You get moer done with aggressive action and a
smile than you do with just a smile.
We interviewed over ten law firms before we found a firm with the guts
and talent to take on GM. They did a sterling job, GM noticed and paid
out over 4.5 million (my estimate, not official)to over 1500 hapless GM
lemon owners. That was just Dieselgate, there were seven other groups
organized across the country that allso settled for like amounts with
buybacks of lemon GM cars.
My point is letters to Congress and state Legislatures, bumper stickers,
trips to TV and radio stations, visits to the newspapers, picketing
dealers and ads in the newspapers all helped bring GM to the table.
Before the organized action we were totally kissed off. (We fought GM
with out and Internet in those days.)
It took two legislative sessions to get any legislator to call me back
about the GM problem. The second legislative session we wrote and got
the "Oregon Lemon Law" passed.
Using Dieselgate as a measuring stick we are far ahead of that effort
this time around. We have had considerable measurable success in our
first go around with the Ortegon Legislature regarding workers comp
issues.
I predict that by end of the next session we will prevail on REAL
"workers comp reform" in Oregon, killing "exclusive remedy" and will
have succeeded on other issues of fairness and equity. We have just
started.
Good luck in your fight with AT&T.
Merle Campbell