A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues
Sometimes you just have to wonder why House Republicans even bother. Yesterday they wasted the taxpayer’s money holding a ridiculous hearing on“Regulatory Reform: Unleashing Economic Opportunity for Workers and Employers,” — basically an Obama hate-fest. You can watch it here if you have an hour and a half of your life that isn’t worth living.…
The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing tomorrow on reducing protections for the American workforce. Titled “Regulatory Reform: Unleashing Economic Opportunity for Workers and Employers,” the Republican majority has invited Karen Harned, Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center, Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action…
The messages to OSHA from the Chamber of Commerce at this week’s House hearing were clear: Don’t (miss)use the General Duty Clause as a substitute for issuing OSHA standards. Don’t issue any OSHA standards. The General Duty Clause: Great Idea, As Long As You Don’t Actually Use It One of the mantras that you hear…
In a fiery rebuttal of Republican and employer attacks on OSHA during the Obama administration, former Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels yesterday rejected assertions that OSHA had focused only on confrontation over cooperation, and or that the agency had flouted the law and good safety practice when it came to enforcement, standards and media campaigns.…
The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing on Tuesday entitled “A More Effective and Collaborative OSHA: A View from Stakeholders.” This will be the first — and probably the only — oversight hearing held in this two-year session of Congress. The Committee has not yet made witness names public. (Hint: not me.) Republicans will…
Secretary of Labor Acosta testifies tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 AM about the President’s FY 2018 DOL budget proposal. I won’t be able to see it (poor planning), but maybe you can watch and let me know what happens. It should be interesting. The House, unlike the Senate, has not yet gotten a chance to question Acosta.…
“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” ― Joe Biden If a President or Congress want to dismantle worker protections or other government programs, they don’t have to repeal or change legislation; they can work their damage through the budget process. Slashthe budget of a…