For Immediate Release
Monday, February 26, 1996
Labor, Advocacy Groups Fight Efforts to Gut Workplace Protections
Washington, DC —A broad coalition representing more than a hundred labor, community, environmental, civil rights, disability, and womens and childrens advocacy groups today expressed outrage at a preliminary report by the President's Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) that would weaken or repeal federal laws requiring states to enforce key occupational, health, safety, civil rights and environmental protections.
The coalition, called Citizens for Sensible Safeguards (CSS), blasted the commission for recommending the repeal of legislation protecting public employees, including the:
Occupational Safety and Health Act, which requires employers to adopt standards that protect workers against workplace hazards;
Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows employees to use unpaid leave to care for seriously ill family members;
Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires employers to pay workers minimum wage and overtime pay.
ACIR preliminary recommendations also include "modifying" the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires states to provide people with disabilities equal opportunities in employment and public access; and such environmental protections as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
In a letter sent to ACIR Chairman William F. Winter, CSS organizers also criticized the ACIR for scheduling a conference -- at which participants were to be required to pay a fee in excess of $400 -- rather than a public hearing, as required by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. The ACIR has since unofficially scheduled a public hearing on its preliminary report. Yet, with less than two weeks to the hearing, the ACIR still has not published a notice to invite the public to speak at the event, nor has the time or location of the hearing been announced.
"It is clear that much greater research, debate and consideration is needed before any further recommendations are made," the CSS letter added. "As organizations representing millions of Americans, we strongly oppose the recommendations of [the ACIR's] preliminary report, and urge their reconsideration before a final report is issued in the weeks to come."
Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.3 million member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, criticized the ACIR recommendations calling for the repeal of basic protections for state and local government employees.
"This report buys into current political rhetoric at the expense of reasoned policy debate," McEntee said. "Instead of abandoning important federal safeguards, Congress should adequately fund these programs to relieve any possible burden on state and local governments."
OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass criticized the commission for recommending what amounts to a "no money, no mandate" policy for states when enforcing environmental safeguards like the Safe Drinking Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Air Act. OMB Watch, a non-profit research and advocacy group, is a the chair of CSS.
"Contrary to what the ACIR report implies, there is no real agreement on what constitutes a mandate," Bass said. "The Commission implies that revisions to existing mandates would increase states' flexibility in adhering to those mandates. But the reality is that many states, left with the option, simply won't enforce these vital protections."
