84 ASSOCIATION OF IRON, STEEL AND TIN WORKERS [2l6 



of the member. The local officers forward the claim to the 

 national union, and, if approved, payment is made through 

 the local union to the legal claimant. 



The greatest amount of care is required in administering 

 sick and accident benefits. The chief defenses against 

 frdud are the certificate of the attending physician and the 

 statement of the visiting committee, togeth-er with the sworn 

 record of the financial secretary. A member who becomes 

 sick or disabled must notify within a week the financial 

 secretary, vice-president, or a member of the sick commit- 

 tee, and fill out a blank giving date and cause of sickness 

 or disability. No benefits are paid for a week. At the 

 expiration of two weeks, the physician certifies to the date, 

 nature, and cause of illness, and the sick or benefit com- 

 mittee certifies that the member is " unable to work " and 

 that the disability is not caused by immorality. This report 

 is forwarded to the national union. Each week thereafter 

 a supplementary report, similar to th-e original claim, is sent 

 to the national office. If the records of the member are 

 clear, the local union is instructed to pay sick benefits to the 

 member, and upon the termination of the sickness, the sub- 

 ordinate lodge is reimbursed by check from the national 

 lodge. 



The law provides that the local union shall arrange for a 

 " benefit committee " to visit sick members, consisting of at 

 least three menTbers. The vice-president is chairman ex 

 officio. This committee is required to have a reputable 

 physician sign the reports, to visit every sick member, and 

 to fill out blank forms provided for the purpose. If a com- 

 mittee is refused admittance, except by order of the board 

 of health, it is not " obligatory " to pay weekly benefits until 

 such refusal is discontinued. Visiting committees are not 

 required to visit men^bers having " malignant or contagious 

 diseases," but to make a report of such cases on the benefit 

 claims. Officers found guilty of obtaining benefits for a 

 member fraudulently are fined twenty-five dollars. Na- 

 tional officials, of course, cannot be sure of the honesty of 

 the physicians and the good faith of the visiting committee. 



