Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2018)
PAGE 4 | April 20, 2018 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ... Trump record on worker safety From Page 1 Exposure to loud noise on the job doesn’t just cause hearing loss. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), it’s also associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Too much in- formation? Congress has now twice rejected a pro- posal by the Trump Ad- ministration to cut NIOSH’s annual budget by more than $100 million. “Health and safety regula- tions are written in the blood of working people,” CWA Presi- dent Chris Shelton said in a press statement about the law- suit, “and this executive order treats those lifesaving rules like bargaining chips. Essentially, it tells workers: ‘If you want to be free from asbestos, you’ll need to contend with lead poisoning or infectious disease.’” Deregulation might sound good in the abstract In his campaign and in office, Trump’s constant narrative has been that regulations are bur- densome. Many Americans agree in the abstract yet disagree when they learn the details. That’s because when it comes to regulations, there are burdens ei- ther way. Take toxins: You could require employers to shoulder the burden of preventing worker exposure to hazardous sub- stances, or you could let work- ers suffer the burden of debili- tating and fatal diseases. Even though OSHA strives to find the most practical, cost-ef- fective methods of preventing occupational injuries and dis- eases, business groups mount major political and legal fights against new requirements. For example, late in 2016, the Obama-era OSHA announced a new rule: To improve the effec- tiveness of OSHA investiga- tions, employers would have to accurately record injuries in the workplace and keep those records for five years. Business groups said that was too burden- some. In early 2017, the Repub- lican Congress passed a bill striking down the rule, and Trump signed it into law. The lawsuit continues In its lawsuit, CWA asks the court to declare Trump’s order unlawful and bar agencies from implementing it. But that hasn’t happened yet. On Feb. 26, 2018, a federal district court judge ruled that CWA and the other groups don’t have standing to sue because they didn’t identify particular members who would be harmed. The judge didn’t re- ject the merits of their argument, however, and he left the door open for them to show that con- crete harm has been done. The groups filed further arguments April 2. Since Trump issued the “one in, two out” executive order, progress on new rules to protect workers appears to have halted. More than a dozen prospective rules have been taken off the of- ficial list of new regulations be- ing developed by OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Admin- istration, including standards on combustible dust, workplace vi- olence, infectious diseases, noise in construction, styrene, Turn to Page 16 “I’m working to build safe, livable communities where local families have good-paying jobs and great schools, and local businesses thrive.” ENDORSED BY: Northwest Oregon Labor Council Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council United Food & Commercial Workers #555 Paid for by Henry Heimuller for Columbia County Commissioner
