For Immediate Release
Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Ergonomics Standard Is Important Victory for Workers
AFSCME urges legislators to oppose attempts to derail new OSHA standards
WASHINGTON —The American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, sent a letter to lawmakers on Capitol Hill today asking them not to "delay or kill" a ruling intended to protect millions of U.S. workers from job-related repetitive stress injuries.
The letter to the legislators comes on the heels of safety standards released earlier this week by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requiring employers to implement ergonomic programs to correct working conditions that cause carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Each year, according to OSHA estimates, 1.8 million workers report MSDs and 600,000 of these injuries result in time off work to recover.
"This is a truly historic victory for worker safety," said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. "But the final battle for an ergonomics standard is not yet over," McEntee warned. "There are a number of factors, including the outcome of the Presidential election, that could affect the future of this standard and the health and safety of millions of workers. We know that a Gore Administration would strongly support and enforce this rule."
The fight over the ergonomics standard will also continue in courts and in Congress. The Chamber of Commerce and other business interests have filed lawsuits to stop the OSHA standard. For the past 10 years, a number of business groups and anti-worker members of Congress have fought this standard every step of the way. Just two weeks ago, the Republican House leaders scrapped an agreement reached by their own negotiators on a major federal appropriations bill over this issue.
"Legislators and businesses leaders must be interested in more than the bottom line," said Mr. McEntee. "A successful business is not just measured by the dollars it brings in, but by the health and safety of its employees."
The new ergonomics rule would take effect in January. Businesses would have until October to comply with the regulations.
