J. E. Begert to A. R. Fisher on Joseph Gurnick and a New Jersey Occupational Disease Bill (1941)

A one-page personal and confidential memo of February 13, 1941, from J. E. Begert, manager of Johns-Manville's Manville, New Jersey, factory, to A. R. Fisher, a J-M vice-president, copied to Vandiver Brown. Enclosing a report on employee Joseph Gurnick, Begert saw nothing to do but "sit tight and await developments": the case "may develop into another one of those annoying cases which we have experienced in the past." He then reported, through Freas Hess, that a Dr. Wegroski of Essex County planned a bill making occupational disease compensable in New Jersey, and that the Manufacturers' Association lobbyist at Trenton was ready with a counter bill.

What it shows

Begert thought "something should be done in the State of New Jersey on making occupational disease compensable." His reason was that "a few of the cases we have had recently and settled by compromise have received unavoidable publicity (more than likely passed from employee to employee orally)," and that the signs were "definite" that too many employees knew "they can get consideration on these occupational disease cases." He asked Fisher for the status of "the bill on compensable occupational disease which our Company is working on in connection with some other business interests." J-M had been following the New Jersey dust disease bills closely since at least 1939 (Brown's memo of February 1939).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

A memo from Begert to Fisher (JM VP) regarding claim of Joseph Gurnick, referred to as "one of those annoying cases" - also discusses possibility of legislation to make occupational disease compensable under worker's compensation in NJ and a counter bill being proposed by lobbyists from Manufacturer's Association