Final answer:
The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) provides financial benefits, through mandated workman's compensation insurance funded by employers, to employees who are injured on the job. This development was part of a broader movement towards better labor practices and worker safety that began in the early 20th century.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) covers employees who suffer from injuries while on the job. The act mandates that employers contribute to state-run workman's compensation insurance funds. A small percentage of the salaries paid to employees is directed into these funds. The insurance provides financial benefits to workers who are injured during the course of their employment. Over time, reforms such as WICA have been influenced by historical labor movements and the push for better labor laws, like the passage of the Wagner Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act that helped to ensure the rights to organize and established maximum hours and minimum wages.
Originally, workers' compensation laws were developed to improve workplace safety and reduce the necessity for labor strikes. Progressive reformers in the early 1900s were keen to prevent the rise of radicalism and labor unrest while ensuring compensations for industrial casualties that occurred throughout the year.