AFL-CIO health and safety director Rebecca Reindel says the Senate’s imminent confirmation of Labor Secretary nominee Marty Walsh could prompt OSHA to finish work on its emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19, after the agency missed President Joe Biden’s March 15 deadline to issue a rule.
Republicans on a House appropriations panel used a recent hearing on worker-safety issues in meat and poultry plants to call for an increased focus on vaccinating workers in the sector against COVID-19 as a better strategy than a strict OSHA standard, signaling how conservatives could seek to counter the agency’s imminent rule.
Republicans on the House labor panel are urging OSHA to reach out to employers as it crafts a widely expected emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19, warning that rules based on outdated science could have an “adverse impact” on workplace infection controls.
House Democrats are pushing new legislation to reverse the landmark 2012 court ruling that imposed a strict six-month limit on OSHA’s enforcement of recordkeeping and reporting mandates, following release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that blames the decision for a dramatic enforcement drop.
Progressive and safety groups are stepping up their push for Congress to reform the OSH Act, including calling for legislation that would allow workers to sue their employers directly over violations of OSHA standards, seeing Democratic control of Congress and the White House as an opportunity to pass new workplace safety legislation.
Jim Tozzi, the first director of the White House Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) that reviews major OSHA rules prior to their publication, is proposing that the Biden administration overhaul the office by increasing its staffing levels and giving OIRA a “proactive” role in helping agencies develop their policies.
Labor Secretary nominee Marty Walsh said at his Feb. 4 confirmation hearing that OSHA will be one of his “first, top priorities” if confirmed, praised Virginia’s COVID-19 workplace standard and said any federal rule for the pandemic will come with a boost to enforcement, echoing President Joe Biden’s promises for the agency.
President-elect Joe Biden’s planned COVID-19 stimulus bill would allow OSHA to extend its expected emergency temporary standard (ETS) for the virus to industries the agency does not currently regulate, including several categories of government work, alongside boosts to OSHA’s enforcement and training budgets.
Local unions are welcoming President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as Labor Secretary, praising Walsh both for his overall stance on worker safety and his administration’s imposition of comprehensive workplace protections from COVID-19 -- previewing a top priority for the Biden OSHA.
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D), a former president of the city’s building union, as his nominee for Secretary of Labor, following through on campaign promises to give unions a strong voice in labor policy and putting Walsh in charge of an expected push to ramp up OSHA’s enforcement efforts.