For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 06, 2001
Protect the OSHA Ergonomics Standard
AFSCME Urges Bush Administration and Republican Congress Not to Overturn Long-Awaited Worker Protections
Washington —The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, today called on elected officials not to take extraordinary measures to undercut the new OSHA workplace Ergonomics Standard. Republican leaders in the House and Senate are plotting to use an unprecedented legislative maneuver, the Congressional Review Act, to repeal the Ergonomics Standard that went into effect in January. Under the Act, if majorities in both houses of Congress and President Bush agree, the worker protections will be abolished and cannot be reissued in the future.
"If the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress believe in a safe work environment, they can begin by supporting OSHA's Ergonomics Standard that will stop painful injuries," said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. The rule will prevent hundreds of thousands of disabling back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that cost the U.S. economy an estimated $50 billion each year.
The OSHA Ergonomics Standard was enacted by the Clinton Administration following a promise a decade ago to develop a standard by then-Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole. The result is a reasonable and balanced approach that reflects the best practices being followed in the industry today, Mr. McEntee said. OSHA has given employers covered by the standard until October 16 to provide information to their employees about MSDs, how to report injuries and the requirements of the new rules.
"It's time for the President and Republicans in Congress to fulfill their pledge to heal wounds by working with us to protect all employees from injury," said Mr. McEntee.
