Labor Takes Another Blow From GOP-led Congress

March 7, 2001
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney is calling Congress' action to overturn OSHA's ergonomics standard, "dishonest" and "disgraceful."

"''Dishonest'' and ''disgraceful'' are not strong enough words to describe the Senate vote against injured workers in Congress," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney commented in regards to last night''s Senate vote to repeal OSHA''s ergonomics standard.

Union officials believe organized labor is paying the price for its support of Democrats and former Vice President Al Gore in the November elections in the wake of the Senate''s vote.

"It''s a shameful portrayal of what this Congress is all about when I thought we were entering into a new era of bipartisanship," said Bill Borwegen, occupational health and safety director for the Service Employees International Union.

AFL-CIO''s Sweeney noted that is the first health and safety standard nullified in OSHA''s 30-year history.

"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," said Sweeney. "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 Capital Hill this week have turned their backs on workers'' safety, workers'' pay and workers'' family needs at every juncture."

Sweeney also expressed concern that the attack on the rules aimed at protecting workers was done 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 rulemaking by the Department of Labor," said Sweeney. "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."

The new ergonomics regulations, which had been the subject of a decade-long political fight, were enacted in the final days of the Clinton Administration.

They required businesses to make adjustments to work stations and to pay for some health care and medical leave if they determine an employee suffers from repetitive stress injuries caused by work.

Businesses were given until October to comply.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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