Trial Bar Chases Jobs Out Of Oklahoma
April 16, 2009
In recent months, both Tyson Foods and Conoco Phillips have announced plans to shift a total of more than 1,300 jobs out of Oklahoma and relocate them to other states. More fall out from a bad economy? No, these job losses come courtesy of the state’s powerful trial bar.
“It appears Oklahoma is firmly committed to the trial lawyer lobby instead of industry, jobs and prosperity,” writes Steve Fair, in the OKGazette.com. Fair, who also blogs at stevefair.blogspot.com, blames the trial bar for blocking reform of Oklahoma’s antiquated workman’s compensation system. Oklahoma “still uses the court system to settle worker comp disputes, which creates high premiums for employers and reduced payments to injured workers.”
Oklahoma’s Republican controlled legislature is trying to pass legislation (again) that would reduce job-killing lawsuits by establishing reasonable limits on non-economic damages and curbing lottery-sized legal fees to greedy trial lawyers. But, as Fair notes, Democrat Governor Brad Henry vetoed a similar bill two years ago and shows little interest in letting this one become law, despite his campaign rhetoric supporting these common sense reforms.
You’d think in today’s dire economy political leaders would united and pull out all the stops to prevent jobs from fleeing their states. Many governors now recognize that a fair and predictable legal climate is just as critical as a favorable tax climate and an educated workforce when it comes to luring (or just keeping) jobs to their states. By blocking worker comp and legal reform, Oklahoma trial layers are sending the message to business and the country that they’re more interested in preserving lawsuits than in preserving jobs.