"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Goofy USL&H Law Impacts Us All


Somebody needs to inform our elected representatives in the US Congress
that a
65-foot pleasure boat isn't an ocean liner or an oil tanker. Outdated,
erroneous perceptions currently in place impose arbitrary financial
hardships
on boatyards. As with most other costs, fees, and taxes, the consumer
ultimately absorbs the lion's share of the increased expenditures.
Specifically, the US Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act needs
to be
revised.

Peg Miller, of Miller and Miller Boatyard in Seattle, outlined the
practical
realities and challenges of the current law. "Let's say we are working on
two
boats. One is 64-feet, and the other is 65-feet. If our shipwright falls
and
breaks his leg on the 64-footer, the Washington State Department of Labor
and
Industries will provide workman's compensation coverage for medical bills,
and
Washington State will replace some of the wages lost while waiting for the
break to heal."



It's goofy to have the US Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act!
Why have a special federal protected class of workers? You have to carry
workman's compensation of you employ others. So why a special for big
boats? The rates for workman comp are built into your claims record. Start
out at a preset rate, no claims, rate goes down, claims rate goes up. Just
like unemployment Insurance. They should be covered by the state required
policy, if working on a 18' bayliner, or a 2000' tanker. The are employees
of a state's licensed contractor, not the federal government.