By Max Pringle
Baseball fans know the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers don’t get along. But that isn’t stopping the two rivals and other professional sports franchises from pushing a bill that would prevent out-of-state pro athletes from filing workers' compensation claims in California.
The bill’s supporters say it would save the state millions of dollars by not allowing out-of-state athletes to claim workers' compensation benefits for injuries received while playing in California. Currently, athletes on teams from other states can claim California’s workers comp benefits as well as benefits in the states where their teams are based.
Opponents say the measure lets wealthy team owner sidestep liability to players who suffer long-term injuries. “The owners are trying to get out ahead of the long-term injuries that athletes are incurring such as concussions, internal organ injuries, and the like,” says Randy Perry with the coalition of labor groups opposing the bill.
The bill has already cleared the Assembly and will be heard in a Senate committee later this week.
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