| Author | Subject: Senate Vote to Repeal the New OSHA Ergonomics Standard |
| Webmaster | Posted At 09:09:09 03/07/2001
"Dishonest" and "disgraceful" are not strong enough words to describe the senate vote against injured workers in Congress. The vote raises the stakes for action in the House. Ergonomic injuries and illnesses are the nation's biggest workplace safety and health problem, causing 1.6 million crippling and disabling injuries at the workplace and costing companies $45-$50 billion each year. Sadly, a majority of senators chose to let the pain continue. Senators hostile to the interests of working families rushed a naked political pay-off to big business contributors who have opposed every effort to enact a standard protecting workers. They tried to claim that it's just this rule they oppose; it's just the process this time to which they object. That's rubbish. The same businesses that are swarming Capitol Hill this week have turned their backs on workers' safety, workers' pay and workers' family needs at every juncture. If turned back, this will become the first health and safety standard nullified in OSHA's 30-year history. The senators who voted to repeal this health and safety standard will have to answer to the working men and women in their states. The votes of Democratic senators who gave cover to this assault on worker safety are especially dishonorable. This attack on the most vulnerable members of the workforce has taken place with the full backing of the Bush Administration. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao must answer for ducking and equivocating instead of standing up for 10 years of rule-making by the Department of Labor—a process initiated by a Republican secretary, Elizabeth Dole, in 1990. Chao appears to have become a willing partner in the systematic attempt by President Bush, who raised $250 million from corporations in his election campaign, to depress workers and weaken unions in America in order to further tilt the balance in this country in favor of corporate power. If lawmakers had allowed every business assault to roll the interests of working men and women in this country, we would have no minimum wage; we would have no job safety law; we would have no overtime or child labor laws. We look now to the House of Representatives to stand up for the working men and women who elected them. It's a clear choice. |
| mikewebb |
Re: Senate Vote to Repeal the New OSHA Ergonomics Standard (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 07:56:05 03/12/2001 I agree with the author of this message, we have been betrayed by our political system and its association with american business's woe be to us for allowing this to happen we need to band together and convince them that what they have and are about to do is wrong, write your congressman/woman now! |
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