Workers rights

11/16/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised its acetylene standard. A final rule replaces references to outdated industry standards with updated references reflecting current industry practices.

"This final rule incorporates current technology that enhances OSHA's acetylene standard for improving industry work practices and providing safer workplaces," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "It exemplifies our mission of providing strong and effective regulations that protect the safety and health of working men and women."    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez today stated that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is a “top legislative priority” of the Obama Administration. The remark came during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing focused on the legislation.

Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the chief Senate co-sponsor of ENDA, applauded the comment as a major endorsement of the Senate’s efforts to pass a fully inclusive version of the bill.    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC- At a hearing today of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) urged passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Senator Casey is a cosponsor of ENDA.

Senator Casey released the following statement:

“It is long past time to require employers in the private sector to respect the rights and dignities of their employees and to provide employees with remedies in federal courts when they are the victims of egregious and insidious discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.    » read more »

Cosponsors Bill To Restore Fairness in the Workplace Following Recent Supreme Court Ruling

November 2, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is joining an effort to protect older workers from age discrimination in the workplace. On June 18, 2009, in the case Gross v. FBL Financial, the Supreme Court changed long-standing practices and ruled that victims of age discrimination need to prove that the age discrimination was the “deciding factor” in employment decisions, making it much more difficult for these workers to protect their rights.

As a result, Feingold is cosponsoring legislation introduced by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act, to restore fairness for older workers.    » read more »

Legislation impacting Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories still active

October 2, 2009 -- Continuing the fight to ensure fair pay and retirement benefits for federal employees in Alaska, U.S. Senator Mark Begich continues to push to bring parity between federal workers' retirement in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories with those in the continental U.S.

Begich joined Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii in March in introducing The Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act, which allows for the gradual transition to locality pay from cost of living allowance (COLA) increases.    » read more »

03/25/2009 -- WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement:

"I take the issues raised by the Government Accountability Office investigation regarding past Wage and Hour Division enforcement very seriously.

"As secretary of labor, I am committed to ensuring that every worker is paid at least the minimum wage, that those who work overtime are properly compensated, that child labor laws are strictly enforced and that every worker is provided a safe and healthful environment.    » read more »

03/16/2009 -- WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the withdrawal of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for occupational exposure to food flavorings containing diacetyl.

The withdrawal will facilitate the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) timely development of a standard to protect workers from bronchiolitis obliterans, a serious and potentially fatal lung disease associated with such an exposure.    » read more »

NEA President Van Roekel applauds introduction of Employee Free Choice Act

WASHINGTON - March 10, 2009 - America's labor unions have led the fight for working families, winning protections such as the 8-hour day and the 40-hour week, overtime rights, and access to health care and retirement security. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel urged all members of Congress to support the Employee Free Choice Act and continue that tradition.

The following can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:    » read more »

Teamsters, Safety Advocates Petition Court to Review Hours-of-Service Rule

March 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Teamsters, Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and the Truck Safety Coalition asked an appeals court today to review a dangerous Bush-era regulation that increased the amount of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel.

The groups also sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking him to begin work on a new regulation that would reduce truck crashes caused by fatigue.

“We have taken this action with the conviction, based on research and scientific data, that longer driving and working hours are unsafe and promote driver fatigue,” the letter said.    » read more »

Ban will protect workers and patrons and will be strongest in traditional tobacco states

March 09, 2009 --    » read more »

January 29, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today released the following statement on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed today by President Obama:

“I want to thank President Obama for quickly signing this bill into law. This legislation ensures that all hard-working Americans are compensated fairly, no matter their gender, race, religion, disability or age.

“It is imperative that we support all those who show up to work everyday to provide for their families and create a better future for their children. Especially during a recession, every worker deserves a fair day’s pay.”

Source: Washington Governor

January 29, 2009 -- Washington - This morning, a dozen SEIU members and Anna Burger, Chair of the Change To Win Labor Federation and SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer, will witness history as President Obama signs into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Ledbetter Act, passed by Congress with strong majorities earlier this week, strengthens the rights of women and all workers to pursue justice for wage discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today submitted the following testimony to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Plant Closings, Workers' Rights and the WARN Act's 20th Anniversary:

John Edwards and Barack Obama: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)    » read more »

Union’s Report on Cummins’ 15 Years of Worker Rights Violations Spurs Resolution Urging Engine Parts Maker To Follow International Labor Standards

May 13, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) – At today’s Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) shareholder meeting in Columbus, Indiana, Teamsters Union leaders urged passage of a shareholder resolution that calls on the company’s board of directors to adopt a policy under which Cummins would meet International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. The ILO standards serve as worldwide benchmarks for companies’ respect for workers’ basic human rights on the job.    » read more »

For 7 years, hundreds of sick workers have waited for a decision on their claims by the Government

April 30, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letters to the Department of Labor (DOL), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Presidential Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH), calling on them to release the costs of administering the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

Nuclear detonation: Photo courtesy Defense Nuclear Agency    » read more »