Keep America's Workers Safe on Memorial Day
Tomorrow, workers and safety advocates from around the world will observe Workers Memorial Day-a day to honor the thousands of workers who are killed or hurt on the job each year.
The day of recognition comes only days after a New York Times article revealed how the Bush administration has placed worker safety "in the hands of industry." Under President Bush, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others," the Times said.
You can do something about it. Tell your senators and representative to co-sponsor the Protecting America's Workers Act, S. 1244 and H.R. 2049. The bill would expand OSHA protections to millions of uncovered workers, enhance whistleblower protections and substantially increase penalties for serious, willful and criminal safety violations.
More than three decades ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. But for the past six years, the Bush administration has ignored the need for updated safety and health protections. Administration officials have allowed their corporate allies to police themselves.
David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University, explains:
The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency.... If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they've forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.
Workplace safety has greatly improved since OSHA regulation began more than three decades ago, but there is still more to be done. According to the AFL-CIO's annual report, "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect," an average of 16 workers were fatally injured and more than 12,000 were injured or made ill each day of 2005, the year covered by the report. These statistics do not include deaths from occupational diseases, which claim the lives of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 workers each year.
Increased enforcement and improved standards are needed. AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario testified before Congress yesterday, urging legislators to update the law:
Health and safety standards are out of date or nonexistent for many workplace hazards. Millions of workers still are not covered by the OSH Act and lack even the most basic safety and health protections.... In 2007, the promise of a safe job for every American worker is far from being fulfilled.
Help fulfill the promise of a safe workplace for millions of workers.
Tell your senators and representative to co-sponsor the Protecting America's Workers Act.
In solidarity,
Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
